Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Karen LeBlanc Entry Title: Crafting a Unique Cultural Journey Through Ecuador Entry Credit: Karen LeBlanc Judge Comment: This remarkable piece highlights a traveler’s immersion into Ecuadorian heritage through handcrafts, design and local creative communities. It is a deeply personal and visually evocative reflection on how travel can foster cultural understanding and exchange. The writing is confident and warm, offering a sensory-rich experience that respects the artisans’ stories while subtly sharing the author’s transformation.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: TJ OLWIG Entry Title: Hearts Aflutter Entry Credit: T.J. OLWIG Judge Comment: Centered on a trip to a monarch butterfly sanctuary in Mexico, this story tenderly explores themes of grief, wonder and ecological reverence. The author uses quiet but powerful prose to connect personal healing with natural spectacle. This is both a memorial and a celebration, gently unfolding in a place where transformation is both metaphor and reality.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: David Farley Entry Title: "Back to Life: Rebuilding the Czech Republic's Miracle Village" Entry Credit: David Farley Judge Comment: An inspiring portrait of a post-war community revitalization in a Czech Village near Prague. This piece blends history, resilience and cultural pride through a narrative of separation from mainstream society, through physical destruction, to its rebirth and creation of a vibrant community that now attracts 50,000 visitors annually. It is both grounded and forward-looking, paying homage to its roots while emphasizing a strong sense of place and purpose.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: AARP The Magazine Entry Title: "Pedestrian of the Year" Entry Credit: Chip Brown Judge Comment: This charming and quietly triumphant account of a steep cycling journey is deceptively simple –– and entirely winning. The author elevates what could have been a routine errand into a playful metaphor for personal determination, driven by youthful memories. It is fresh, compact and thoroughly original.
