FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 3, 2021
PASADENA, CALIF. – The North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) announced the winners of the 29th Annual NATJA Travel Media Awards Competition. Awards were made to publications, travel journalists and photographers, and destination marketing organizations. Winning entries from major publications included The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Bloomberg Businessweek, National Geographic Traveler, American Way, Matador Network, and Air Canada enRoute. Among the destination marketing organizations receiving honors were Discover Puerto Rico and Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau. A complete list of the winners and honorable mentions is attached below and available on the NATJA website at www.natja.org.
“The past year has been one of the most challenging and tragic years within memory. Necessarily, the travel and tourism industries were substantially shut down, and while we are cheered by early signs of recovery, we are all aware losses and challenges will continue to mount for some time,” noted Helen Hernandez, CEO of NATJA. “Yet, despite this landscape of loss, NATJA members and others not yet part of our NATJA family, have sucked it up, made needed adjustments, and produced a remarkable body of work. Many submitted their work in this year’s competition, and we are well satisfied–though not surprised–to see that the range and quality of submissions have increased, and the bar for this year’s awards is the highest we have seen over the last twenty-nine years of the NATJA Award’s existence. Thank you to all who submitted in this difficult year for your efforts. We hope you will celebrate with us this year’s winners. ”
One first place (Gold) winner is chosen in each of the categories along with 2nd (Silver), 3rd place (Bronze) and Honorable Mentions. To qualify for an award or honor, work had to be published from September 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. Founded in 1991, NATJA is a travel journalism industry leader that fosters high quality journalism by supporting the professional development of its members, providing exceptional program benefits and valuable resources, honoring the excellence of journalism throughout the world, and promoting travel and leisure to the general public.
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PUBLICATION CATEGORIES
Category 300: Travel Magazine
- Gold: Air Canada enRoute, September 2020 Food Issue
- Silver: Matador Network
- Bronze: American Way, November 2019 Issue
- Honorable Mention: Celebrated Living, Jan/Feb 2020 Issue
Category 301: Independent Travel Blog
- Gold: Brad A Johnson, Brad A. Johnson, Food & Travel
- Silver (tie): Helen Hatzis, Trip Jaunt
- Silver (tie): Sylvia Longmire, Spin the Globe
- Bronze: Dalene Heck, Road Trip Alberta
MEDIA CATEGORIES
Category 100: Destination Travel
- Gold: Charu Suri, “Street Art Confronts the Pandemic“, The New York Times
- Silver: Julia Busiek, “The DIY Desert“, National Parks
- Bronze: Charu Suri, “Why Work from Home When You Can Work from Barbados, Bermuda or … Estonia?“, The New York Times
- Honorable Mentions:
- Heide Brandes, “The Legend of the White Dog“, ROUTE Magazine
- Emma Yardley, “Northern Exposure“, FASHION Magazine
Category 101: Illustrated Story
- Gold: Barb Sligl, “High Times“, Just for Canadian Dentists Magazine
- Silver: Jonathan Bertucchi, “Poisonous gases and curious tourists: Inside the lives of the Kawah Ijen miners“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Cori Solomon, “Escape to the South Willamette Valley“, The Written Palette
- Honorable Mention: Cory Lee, “7 Continents, 1 Wheelchair: My Journey to Every Continent as a Wheelchair User“, Curb Free with Cory Lee
Category 102: Long-Form Narrative/Personal Essay
- Gold: Emma Athena, “The Fukushima surf revival: How surfing was revived alongside a community in the wake of a tsunami and nuclear disaster.“, SBNATION
- Silver: Heide Brandes, “Searching for Sasquatch“, OutdoorX4 Magazine
- Bronze: Tim Leffel, “Trying Isolated Farm Life on a Uruguay Estancia“, Perceptive Travel
- Honorable Mentions:
- Sophy Roberts, “Under the Tiger’s Eye“, Bloomberg Businessweek
- Morgan Tilton, “Yosemite of the Sea: Cala Gonone, Italy“, The Discoverer
Category 120: Lifestyle, Personality and Profiles
- Gold: Jayme Moye, “Shannon Galpin Isn’t Done Yet“, Bicycling
- Silver: Tim Wenger, “Rez Roads is bringing #vanlife to the Navajo Nation“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Matthew Meltzer, “At North Dakota State University, tailgating is an education in the culture of the North“, Matador Network
- Honorable Mentions:
- Elisabeth Sherman, “How Native American chefs are working to decolonize Indigenous cuisine“, Matador Network
Category 121: Luxury and Resort Travel
- Gold: Daliah Singer, “Where to Splurge in Aspen“, Aspen Sojourner
- Silver: Rose Palmer, “Boomer Adventure on a Burgundy Canal Barge Cruise“, My Itchy Travel Feet
- Bronze: Theresa Medoff, “The Royal Treatment“, AAA Traveler Worldwise
- Honorable Mention: Ruksana Hussain, “Go Beyond the Boardroom“, Diversity Professional
Category 122: Sports, Recreation and Adventure
- Gold: Mark Orwoll, “Hunting for Landmines in Cambodia: ‘If You See A Bomb, Don’t Touch It’“, Matador Network
- Silver: Jayme Moye, “Chinese Puzzle”, Adventure Journal
- Bronze: Jennifer Bain, “This Baby Seal Safari Is the Reason You Have to Go to Canada Next Winter“, Daily Beast
- Honorable Mentions:
- Geoff Kirbyson, “Beyond the Beach: In Search of the Fountain of Youth, underwater adventures & the Winnipeg Jet“, Winnipeg Free Press
- Anders Melin, “Scaling Mount Everest in Vermont“, Bloomberg Businessweek
Category 123: Cruises
- Gold: Gwen Pratesi, “Why I Won’t Stop Taking Cruises—Even After Coronavirus“, Reader’s Digest
- Silver: Ali Wunderman, “Small-ship cruising is the best way to explore Thailand’s southern islands“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Janice Wald Henderson, “How the Cruise Industry Got Passengers Home After the Travel Ban“, Condé Nast Traveler
- Honorable Mention: Nancy Besharah, “It’s Smooth Sailing for Families Aboard AmaWaterways“, Recommend Magazine
Category 124: Historical Travel
- Gold: Jennifer Barger and Heather Greenwood Davis, “Historic interpreters share their sides of the story“, National Geographic Travel
- Silver: Paige McClanahan, “Can a Restored Pompeii be Saved from ‘Clambering’ Tourists?“, The New York Times
- Bronze: Michael Luongo, “Coronavirus memorials will be created. The real issue is how we want our losses remembered“, NBC News Think
- Honorable Mentions:
- Lea Lane, “75 Years After Liberation: Jerusalem Forum, ‘Faces Of Auschwitz’ — And Visiting The Death Camp“, Forbes
- Sonam Vashi, “What role do tourists play in the future of Confederate monuments?“, National Geographic Travel
Category 125: 60+ Travel
- Gold: Rich Grant, “Unexpected Adventures in Ilha Grande, Brazil“, Go World Travel
- Silver: Carolyn Worthington, “Discover Romanesque Art in the Pyrenees: An Authentic Adventure“, Healthy Aging Magazine
- Bronze: Don Mankin, “Whales and Antarctica. Wow!“, Active Over 50
- Honorable Mentions:
- Don Mankin, “Enjoy the Simple Life in Modern Sweden“, The Beacon Newspapers
- Phyllis Meras, “Miles To Go”, Providence Journal
Category 126: Family Travel
- Gold: Jon Gorey, “Culture Without Walls: 10 (Mostly) Outdoor Museums to Take in Some Art and History This Fall“, Boston Globe Magazine
- Silver: Bill Kearney, “Mother’s Nature”, American Way
- Bronze: Justin Paul, “The ABCs of Alaska”, Virtuoso Life
- Honorable Mention: Heather Greenwood Davis, “Raising Global Citizens“, CAA Magazine
Category 127: Culinary Travel
- Gold: Mike Ives, “This Vietnamese national park is a spice lover’s dream“, National Geographic Travel
- Silver: Brad A Johnson, “The Disappearing Art & Rhythm of Chinese Tea in Hong Kong“, Brad A. Johnson, Food & Travel
- Bronze: Sasha Chapman, “Saving Morocco’s Signature Spice”, Air Canada enRoute
- Honorable Mentions:
- Bill Kearney, “Across the River”, American Way
- Daliah Singer, “How Native-Owned Restaurants Prioritize Native-Grown Ingredients“, Gastro Obscura
Category 128: Cultural Travel
- Gold: Rachel Ng, “Why does the U.S. have so many Chinatowns?“, National Geographic Travel
- Silver: Leslie Hsu Oh, “The Living Forest”, Backpacker Magazine
- Bronze: Pico Iyer, “The Origin of ‘Paradise’“, Bloomberg Businessweek
- Honorable Mentions:
- Mark Orwoll, “On A Myanmar River Cruise, A Rare Chance To Interact with Burmese Monks“, Condé Nast Traveler
- Charu Suri, “Street Art Confronts the Pandemic“, The New York Times
Category 129: Eco, Environmental or Volunteer Travel
- Gold: Nicholas Kristof, “America’s neglected hiking trails are more popular than ever—but they’re struggling“, National Geographic Travel
- Silver: Mark Orwoll, “Hunting for Landmines in Cambodia: ‘If You See A Bomb, Don’t Touch It’“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Nikki Ekstein, “Pet This, Not That“, Bloomberg Businessweek
- Honorable Mention: Hunter Braithwaite, “Sight Fidelity”, American Way
Category 130: Health and Wellness Travel
- Gold: Sarah Bence, “Finding peace and quiet in a 17th-century monastery and hospital turned hotel“, Roadtrippers Magazine
- Silver: Elaine Glusac, “The Travel Industry’s New Fix for Jet Lag“, New York Times
- Bronze: Mark Ellwood, “Running on Empty”, Robb Report
- Honorable Mention: Brandon Presser, “The Wild, Wild Rest”, Bloomberg Businessweek
Category 131: LGBTQ+ Travel
- Gold: John Garry, “The ultimate LGBTQ guide to Salt Lake City“, Matador Network
- Silver: John Garry, “Meet the new gayborhoods of the US“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Arnold Wayne Jones, “Point of Many Returns“, Dallas Voice
- Honorable Mention: Troy Petenbrink, “6 Ways LGBTQ Cruisers Can Stay Safe on a Port Stop in Jamaica“, Cruise Critic
Category 132: Accessible Travel
- Gold: Sydney Loney, “Planet Earth (via Google Street View)”, Air Canada enRoute Magazine
- Silver: Jeff Jenkins, “Traveling while fat: How I’m changing the narrative“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Lisa Kadane, “Traveling on The Spectrum”, American Way
- Honorable Mention: Stacy Tillilie, “Traveling on the Spectrum“, AAA Traveler Magazine
Category 140: Travel Video
- Gold: Matador Studios, “A walk across Jordan“
- Silver: Matador Studios, “Dominica: From luxe to rustic on the Nature Island“
- Bronze: Matador Network, “Life under the lights“
- Honorable Mention: Jason Rupp, “I Am Scared! TH Pattaya Thailand“
Category 141: Travel Documentary
- Gold: Scott Sporleder, “Faka’apa’apa“, Matador Network
- Honorable Mention: Jason Rupp, “$700 SHAVE by the Last Street Barber “Udin” ID Yogyakarta Indonesia (Revisiting $.70 Street Barber)“
Category 142: Travel Web Series
- Gold: Mike Shubic, “US Road Trip around the Southwest (Episode 2 of 3)“, YouTube and ROKU
- Silver: Tonya and Ian Fitzpatrick, “Escape from India during COVID-19“, World Footprints
- Bronze: Jason Rupp, “Wuhan China November 2019“, YouTube
- Honorable Mentions:
- Annita Thomas, “I Travel Because – Series“, Travel Bags with Annita
- Matador Studios, “Quarantined in India: Life and Travel in the Time of COVID-19“, Matador Network
Category 143: Travel Podcast
- Gold: Scott Gurian, “Traveling While Black“, Far From Home podcast
- Silver: Tonya and Ian Fitzpatrick, “Rick Steves ‘For the Love of Europe’ and his Travel-Driven Social Ethos“, World Footprints
- Bronze: Nikki Ekstein and Mark Ellwood, “Let’s Make a Travel Deal“, Bloomberg Pursuits
- Honorable Mentions:
- Liz Beatty, “The Shared Viking Heart of New Icelanders in Mountain, North Dakota and Gimli, Manitoba“, North Americana Podcast
- Scott Gurian, “Ayahuasca“, Far From Home podcast
- Annita Thomas, “Visiting Unesco World Heritage Sites In The Czech Republic“, WDUN AM550
Category 150: Photography – Cover or Feature Photo/Illustration
- Gold: François Ollivier, “Cover photo for Air Canada enRoute September 2020 Food Issue”, Air Canada enRoute
- Silver: Barb Sligl, “Le Refuge“, Just for Canadian Dentists Magazine
- Bronze: Therese Iknoian, “Abandoned Chernobyl Ferris wheel at night“, HI Travel Tales
Category 151: Photography – Landscape, Seascape, Nature
- Gold: Cindy Baker, “Tuscan Dream“, Travel Bliss Now
- Silver: Therese Iknoian, “Marshall Point Lighthouse bursting with light at night“, HI Travel Tales
- Bronze: Katie Orlinsky, “Retracing the explosive history of a remote national park in Alaska“, National Geographic Travel
- Honorable Mentions:
- Jennifer Coleman, “Fall in Glacier National Park“, Coleman Concierge
- Wendy Gunderson, “Meads Bay Moonset“, Film Road Trip
- Alexander Kallimanis, “Bondi to Coogee Cliff Walk During the Worst Bushfires on Record in Australia“, Wanderlust Marriage Travel
- Heather Trimm, “Fall in Love with Mount Fuji“, Trimm Travels
Category 152: Photography – Portrait, People
- Gold: Tanveer Badal, “American Way Las Vegas Opener”, American Way
- Silver: Rose Palmer, “Doing It For The Gram“, Quiltripping
- Bronze: Wendy Gunderson, “London Gentleman“, Film Road Trip
Category 153: Photography – Sports, Recreation, and Adventure
- Gold: Therese Iknoian, “A Sahara desert adventure at sunset with Mustafa and Ali Baba“, HI Travel Tales
- Silver: Laura Watilo Blake, “Via Ferrata in West Virginia“, Long Weekends
- Bronze: Jeremy Koreski, “The Great Dining Experiment”, Air Canada enRoute
Category 154: Photography – Photo Essay
- Gold: Mustafah Abdulaziz, “Patagonia”, Air Canada enRoute
- Silver: Brad A Johnson, “Telluride in Black & White“, Brad A. Johnson, Food & Travel
- Bronze: Carol Sachs, “If We Fall, We Don’t Fall Alone“, Bloomberg Businessweek
- Honorable Mentions:
- Therese Iknoian, “What Chernobyl looks like today: the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in photos“, HI Travel Tales
- Brad A Johnson, “Quick Look: Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City“, Brad A. Johnson, Food & Travel
- Laura Stevens, “Finding Picasso’s Paris”, American Way
Category 155: Photography – Cultural
- Gold: Wendy Gunderson, “Everything is Relative“, Film Road Trip
- Silver: Michael Hodgson, “Into the night at Berlin Christmas Garden“, HI Travel Tales
- Bronze: Magdalena Rittenhouse, “Kyudo: One Arrow One Life”, KONTYNENTY, Poland
- Honorable Mention: Ruy Barros, “A Dance Like No Other”, American Way
Category 160: Travel Book or Guide
- Gold: Frances Mayes with Ondine Cohane, Always Italy, National Geographic
- Silver: Kim Seely, Uncharted: A Couple’s Epic Empty Nest Adventure Sailing From One Life To Another, Sasquatch Books
- Bronze (tie): Randy Johnson, Hiking North Carolina
- Bronze (tie): Suzanne Roberts, Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel, University of Nebraska Press
- Honorable Mentions:
- Emilien Crespo, Soul of Los Angeles – A guide to 30 exceptional experiences, Jonglez Publishing
- Lea Lane, Places I Remember: Tales, Truths, Delights from 100 Countries
Category 161: Trade Travel Article
- Gold: Alex Bresler, “It’s 2020. Stop pitching solo female travelers ‘safe’ destinations.“, Matador Network
- Silver: Stacy Tillilie, “Traveling on the Spectrum“, AAA Traveler magazine
- Bronze: Skye Mayring, “It’s Easy Being Green”, TravelAge West
- Honorable Mention: Kathie Sutin, “Providence: Rhode Island’s capital surprises with jam-packed itinerary”, Group Tour Magazine
Category 162: Travel Tips & Advice During a Pandemic
- Gold: Leslie Hsu Oh, “Looking for a Socially Distanced Escape? Go to a River“, Vogue
- Silver: Natalia Iwanek, “Disabled and chronically ill travelers, its still possible to travel in post-COVID-19 world“, Matador Network
- Bronze: Nancy Besharah, “Please Don’t Forget to Pack Your “Travel Manners”“, TravelWorld International Magazine
Category 163: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
- Gold: Heather Greenwood Davis, “Raising Global Citizens“, CAA Magazine
- Silver: Leslie Hsu Oh, “Talking to kids about Xenophobia“, National Geographic
- Bronze: Ian Fitzpatrick, “What to do about Racism and Bigotry as Travelers of Conscience and Culture“, World Footprints
- Honorable Mentions:
- Alex Bresler, “We can’t let COVID-19 be the end of inclusive travel“, Matador Network
- Sylvia Longmire, “Everything You Need to Know About Wheelchair Accessible Cruising”, Everything You Need to Know About Wheelchair Accessible Cruising
- Julie Scharper, “An Honest Reckoning”, National Parks
DMO CATEGORIES
Category 200: Visitors’ Guide
- Gold: Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, “HUNTSVILLE – Official Destination Guide to Huntsville/Madison County”
- Silver: Arkansas Tourism, “2020 Arkansas Travel Guide”
- Bronze: Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, “Chapel Hill Orange County 2020 Official Visitors Guide”
- Honorable Mention: South County Tourism Council, “South County Rhode Island Visitor Guide”
Category 201: Destination Video
- Gold: Love Catalina Island, Catalina Island Tourism Authority, “No Man is An Island”
- Silver: Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, “Huntsville: Hope is Not Cancelled”
- Bronze: South County Tourism Council, “Find Your Way Back Video”
Category 202: Social Media or Marketing Campaign
- Gold: Discover Puerto Rico, “Puerto Rico Virtual Vacay”
- Silver: Visit Indiana, “The 20 IN 20”
- Bronze: San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, “Saving ‘Savor the San Juans’”
- Honorable Mention: Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism, “Underground Railroad Month”
Category 203: Big Idea
- Gold: Discover Puerto Rico, “Puerto Rico Virtual Vacay”
- Silver: Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism, “Travel Awaits”
- Bronze (tie): Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, “Santa Monica Shines”
- Bronze (tie): Visit Indiana, “The 20 IN 20”
