2022-23 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
120 Special Packages/Series ( Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides,Travel Audio-Radio,Travel Magazines,Travel Coverage in General Magazines,Newspapers)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Boston Globe Entry Title: Two weeks in America Entry Credit: Staff, Francis Storrs, editor Judge Comment: This ambitious project has a dizzying variety of stories from four reporting teams that drove from Kansas City to the corners of the country, stopping to listen to people talk about their lives. They cover the border church that meets at the fence between San Diego and Tijuana, an elementary school within the Grand Canyon, the grave of an 18-month-old girl who died on the Trail of Tears and is still tended by Nebraska locals, a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and Beale Street’s shoeshine man to the stars in Memphis. Readers can enter the package via the map of each route or take a deep dive into the photo essays. Finally, short videos of people answering the question ‘What do you think of America right now?’ bring quick snippets of voices and faces to the package.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Condé Nast Traveler Entry Title: Bright Ideas in Travel 2022 Entry Credit: Betsy Blumenthal Judge Comment: This fascinating package draws attention to the future of travel, focusing on important issues such as sustainability, representation and accessibility. The topics are well-researched, and the execution is beautiful. In the ‘Future of Travel Hub’ online, sections are separated by a fun, animated GIF, and badges indicate each company’s area of emphasis. The online links provide more depth into stories such as virtual reality travel and a citizen science project to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Readers learn about trend-setting hotels and cruises that matter, as well as those who are venturing into space travel. The package finishes with helpful lists of planning tools and organizations working to change travel.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The New York Times Entry Title: Summer of Cycling Entry Credit: Alex Crevar, Suzanne MacNeille, Eden Weingart, Phaedra Brown, Gabriel Gianordoli Judge Comment: Readers don’t have to be cyclists to be mesmerized by a bike ride from Italy to Croatia that hugs the coast or an e-bike adventure on the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Lanai. This package includes seven sites, each dedicated to a different cycling trip with helpful maps. Solid research and writing provide the information travelers need, and hyperlinks are sprinkled throughout for greater detail. ‘Eight Rails-to-Trails Adventures in the U.S.’ contains carefully chosen trails for long-distance cyclists, while ‘Seven Great Biking Cities (and Which Trails to Ride)’ entices readers to enjoy short rides through major cities. And if you’re curious to know what gear to bring, there’s an article for that as well.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: The Washington Post Entry Title: The best restaurants at America's busiest airports Entry Credit: Gabe Hiatt, Natalie Compton, Hannah Sampson, Amanda Finnegan, Katty Huertas Judge Comment: This package is handy for regular travelers who hustle through America’s biggest airports. If readers don’t know where to eat well when on the run or even when they have hours to spare, this series will lead them to a leisurely sit-down, a quick serve and a wild card in 13 big airport hubs. When asked to share their best memories of an airport meal, readers dished up entertaining tales that included Clark Gable signing a child’s Sky Chef menu and a traveler sharing Wild Turkey bourbon with Hunter S. Thompson.
