The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation has been recognizing achievements in North American travel journalism since 1985.
photo credit: State Library of New South Wales
North American Travel Writers fighting it out for top honors (Obviously an early round as the women contestants probably received first-round byes...)
Based on my work on a project involving travel inspiration, great travel writing is a key consideration. So, in the interest of exposing as many people as possible to superior travel journalism, below is the complete list of winners, appended with links to the individuals, articles, and publications recognized for their accomplishments.
One side note to the authors, publishers and their respective media representatives – many of you are not doing a very effective job of communicating your award winning achievements, or in a few cases, any aspect of your craft on the web.
The time and number of searches required to find links to author bios, the stories and on one occasion, the publication itself, was startling.
Perhaps some of these winning writers are interested in sustaining the tradition of the starving artist mercilessly avoiding the evils of commercialization to preserve the purity of their craft… I would guess most others are probably trying to figure out why not nearly enough people know of their work.
Winners – you are really good at your craft and you put painstaking effort into producing an outstanding product. Please share it with the world – use social media to grow your following. A simple twitter profile, Facebook fan page or LinkedIn profile can go a long way to serve as a hub for interested readers to learn more about you and your other works.
No, “serious writers” need not demean themselves by transforming into full-blown travel bloggers, but there is no harm done in being a smart, web-aware journalist. The travel industry needs you to continue filling imaginations and informing people of how travel enriches lives.
Kicking aside my soapbox, here is the list of winners: continue reading →
