SATW FOUNDATION
LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION
24 Years of Rewarding Journalists for Outstanding Work in the Field
Results of 2008 Lowell Thomas Competition Announced
National Geographic Adventure magazine and The Boston Globe are the top winners in the 24th annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.
National Geographic Adventure gathered 10 awards, including Best Travel Magazine. Among other magazines, National Geographic Traveler won four awards; Departures and Budget Travel won three each.
The Boston Globe led newspapers with five awards, including the gold for Online Travel Journalism Site and gold for Special Projects, combining traditional print journalism with high-quality video, sound and photojournalism on the Web. The Chicago Tribune won four awards, plus an honorable mention, and the Seattle Times three.
New categories this year included broadcast, won by Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman for their work on XM Satellite Radio, and video, won by Joseph Rosendo for shows on PBS TV stations.
The awards, recognized as the most prestigious honors in travel journalism, were announced Oct. 18 in Houston, TX, at the annual convention of the Society of American Travel Writers, the professional organization of travel journalists and communicators.
|
 |
 |
 |
From left, David Molyneaux, president of the SATW Foundation with Jane Wooldridge, travel editor of the Miami Herald and winner of a Lowell Thomas Silver Award in the Travel Journalist of the Year category, Saturday, Oct, 18, 2008, at the SATW convention in Houston.
Photo by Andy Newman. |
From left, Mary Lu Abbott and Liliane Opsomer of the SATW Foundation, with
Lowell Thomas award winners including Sean O'Reilly (gold and silver for travel books), David Molyneaux, foundation president; Diane Daniel (bronze award for newspaper article) and Harry Shattuck (silver for best travel
section circulation 500,000 plus).
Photo by Andy Newman. |
From left, Elizabeth Harryman and Paul Lasley pose with David Molyneaux, president of the SATW Foundation after Lasley and Harryman won Lowell Thomas Gold Award for best travel audio broadcast Saturday, Oct, 18, 2008, at the SATW convention in Houston.
Photo by Andy Newman. | |
|
2008 Winners of Lowell Thomas Awards
Of the 84 awards this year, the top individual winner is Christopher P. Baker, a Palm Springs, CA, freelance writer and photographer, who took the gold as Travel Journalist of the Year. He will receive $1,500. Judges lauded Baker for his articles and guidebooks sharing insights into the Caribbean countries, including Cuba. Also in the grand-award category, the silver went to Jane Wooldridge, travel editor of The Miami Herald and bronze to Susan Wildman, a Washington, DC, freelance journalist.
For the second consecutive year, the Los Angeles Times earned the gold for Best Newspaper Travel Section with a circulation of at least 500,000. In the circulation class of 350,000 to 499,999, the Globe and Mail of Toronto again took gold, and for circulation under 350,000, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans won the top place.
Check out the complete list of winners in 27 categories. |
What the Judges Said:
The competition for work from spring 2007 to spring 2008 drew 1,356 entries in 27 categories and was judged by the faculty at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, with Prof. Katherine Reed as coordinator.
Among the comments by the judges, here are some excerpts:
About the Grand Award winner-Travel Journalist of the Year: “Christopher Baker specializes in the Caribbean, and from Cuba to Costa Rica, he knows his territory. … he’ll help you get to know it, too — with insights into the people, surveys of the landscape and all the how-to hints a traveler could want. …”
About the Best Newspaper Travel Section top winner in circulation above 500,000, the Los Angeles Times: “Travel sections should take the reader away, and the Times’ sections accomplish that and more. … the writing is of such a high caliber that it is difficult to put the section down. …”
Of the Best Online Travel Journalism Site, Boston.com/travel: “The depth of information and the unexpected features found on The Boston Globe’s travel Web site are amazing. The site successfully serves two different constituencies: travelers visiting Boston and Bostonians who travel. …”
“Our goal is to recognize and reward the best of travel journalism in all its forms, including print, the Internet, audio and video,” said David Molyneaux, president of the SATW Foundation and editor of TravelMavens.net. “Each year, travelers explore farther, beyond traditional places, for information, expertise and authenticity in the journals of fellow travelers. And each year, journalists find new ways to provide insights, reviews and good reads to the traveling public.”
See the judges’ comments about all winners. |
The Prizes for Winners:
The total prize money for individual winners this year was $19,850. The Grand Award earns the gold winner $1,500, the silver winner $750 and the bronze place $500. In individual categories, first-place gold winners each receive $500. Silver and bronze winners receive $250 and $150. The categories for Best Newspaper Travel Sections, Best Magazines, Best Online Travel Journalism Sites and Best Travel Packages/Projects are not given monetary awards.
All grand award winners and gold winners in other categories receive an engraved crystal award, while silver and bronze winners receive certificates mounted on plaques.
The awards are named for Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and world explorer during five decades in travel journalism. |
-
-
Want to see who has won past awards? We had 81 winners in last year’s competition. See the winners. |
The Foundation
We are a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) foundation, started in the 1980s. Our mission is to recognize and reward outstanding work in travel journalism. The Foundation funds the competition through entry fees and donations, which are tax-deductible. For more information on the Foundation, click here. |
SATW
The Society of American Travel Writers is the pre-eminent professional association of travel journalists. Click here to learn more or visit the SATW Web site, www.satw.org. |
|
|