| Quick Facts About the SATW Foundation |
WHAT IS THE SATW FOUNDATION?
The Beginning: The nonprofit Society of American Travel Writers Foundation was begun in the early 1980s by a group of SATW editors concerned about the future of travel journalism. They wanted to generate higher standards and prestige for the field.
The Mission: The Foundation’s mission is to improve travel journalism through recognizing and rewarding excellence in the field. To accomplish this goal, the Foundation began the SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, the first broad-based independent competition for travel journalists.
Who was Lowell Thomas? The competition is named for Lowell Thomas, an acclaimed journalist, prolific author, and modern-day world explorer who achieved numerous “firsts” during five decades in travel journalism. He’s known as a broadcast journalist, but his career touched nearly all disciplines. His indefatigable spirit of adventure and discovery epitomizes that of the inquiring travel journalist.
The Competition: Now in its 27th year, the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition is the premier contest in the travel journalism field. The competition has gained stature because it (1) does not promote any particular destination or travel product, (2) is open to all North American journalists, not just SATW members, and (3) is judged by faculty at top U.S. schools of journalism.
The Judges: The competition has always been judged by the faculty of outstanding university journalism schools. Currently the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication leads judging. In past years, the University of Missouri, Northwestern University, and the University of Florida have participated. While the Foundation administers the competition, it plays no role in the judging; all entries go directly to the faculty. The Foundation pays the schools for their work.
The Entry Fees: Most categories are $15 per article. A few categories that allow multiple articles/issues in the entry – the Grand Award, Best Newspaper Travel Sections, Best Magazines, Guidebook, Travel Book, Online Travel Journalism Sites, and Special Packages/Projects – have a $50 fee.
The Awards: The Foundation awards close to $20,000 annually in prize money for outstanding print, online, and multimedia works, travel photography, and audio and video broadcast. The Grand Award, for the best portfolio of work by an individual journalist, is $1,500 for Gold place, $750 for Silver, and $500 for Bronze. The categories for individual work carry prizes of $500 for Gold, $250 for Silver and $150 for Bronze. There are no monetary awards for Best Newspaper Travel Sections, Best Magazines, Best Special Packages/Projects, and Best Online Travel Journalism Site.
The Funding: The competition is funded via tax-deductible entry fees and donations. Donations are vital, as entry fees do not cover all costs. The Foundation welcomes donations from individuals, companies, and other entities interested in fostering better travel journalism. The Foundation currently is conducting a fundraising campaign seeking underwriters for the awards. The Belgian Tourist Office for Flanders & Brussels and Travel Guard signed on as the first underwriters with three-year commitments starting in 2011. Contributions may be mailed to the administrator, Mary Lu Abbott, 6317 Crab Orchard Road, Houston, TX 77057.
The Foundation Board:A Board of Directors composed of SATW members governs the Foundation. From the Directors, up to 10 trustees serve as officers and advisers to oversee ongoing business. No director is paid any fee/salary to serve. The current president is David G. Molyneaux, Editor of TheTravelMavens.com. Mary Lu Abbott serves as Administrator handling day-to-day business and Trustee Ed Stone handles the website, database, and communications. For more information, visit the SATW Foundation website, www.satwf.com.