2022-23 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
118 Personal Comment ( Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides,Travel Audio-Radio,Travel Magazines,Travel Coverage in General Magazines,Newspapers)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Pico Iyer Entry Title: The Trouble with Paradise Entry Credit: Pico Iyer Judge Comment: With almost 50 years of travel experience, Pico Iyer looks squarely at the issue of paradise-like places that travelers aspire to visit. Iyer brings thoughtful levity to the idea that even in places that seem idyllic, there are dark sides and conflicts. As he writes, “If I really did come upon a calm and self-contained Eden, what would it have to gain from me? I, like any visitor, could only be the serpent in the garden.” In this introspective essay, he concludes that to find paradise we may need look no further than where we stand.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Pier Nirandara Entry Title: To the Young Mom on Flight 1122 Entry Credit: Pier Nirandara Judge Comment: On a 14-hour flight to South Africa, a couple with two small children sit next to and across the aisle from the writer, upsetting the peace she longed for on such a demanding journey. Yet her initial anger softens as she and her seat mate converse. Her thoughts soon shift, and she is reminded of her love of South Africa — its beauty, her experiences there, her friendships and the memorial she’s about to attend for a friend who died by suicide. Pier Nirandara’s beautifully written story reminds the audience that travel’s chance encounters help give their lives unexpected richness.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Outside Entry Title: Aspen Has Been Run Over by Zillionaires. Has the Town Lost Its Gonzo Soul? Entry Credit: Roger Marolt Judge Comment: In this well-written, well-reported piece about how Aspen emerged from a silver-rush mining town into a legendary ski resort populated by “zillionaires,” local writer Roger Marolt traces the history of the oddballs and eccentrics who moved there and made it famous. He details how Aspen lost its gonzo reputation and has surfaced as the “most expensive town in America.” What might save what’s left of the once colorful, old Aspen, the writer asked its former sheriff Joe DiSalvo? “Nothing,” he said. “I think it’s dead.”
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: The Boston Globe Entry Title: "Welcome back, valued customers. Now, please pay attention while we remind you of the do’s and don’ts of air travel." Entry Credit: Christopher Muther Judge Comment: Christopher Muther’s very clever take on all the rules, disruptions and violence of late on routine air flights is laugh-out-loud funny. Muther deftly satirizes the passenger experience tongue-in-cheek in a column that, like all good humor, reflects reality. Readers could easily imagine this as a great “Saturday Night Live” skit.
