Matt Crossman took Gold in a new category this year, the Robert Haru Fisher award for Travel Health and Safety Coverage. Crossman’s story, ostensibly about bull riding on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, was really about filling the need for community and connection in a time of isolation. The Fisher award was made possible by a significant bequest from the late Bob Fisher, a past president of SATW and the first president of the SATW Foundation.
A team of reporters from the Miami Herald earned the Gold in the Travel News/Investigative Reporting category for its examination of “COVID Cruises.” Judges praised this “excellent investigation on a breaking news story” that focused on accountability and provided actionable information for readers.
Gold in Travel magazines went to Travel + Leisure, Jacqueline Gifford, editor-in-chief. Judges cited “service-centric stories that anticipated what readers would want.”
The Gold for Special Packages and Series went to The New York Times for “A Year Without Travel,” which “employed strong writing, graphics, videos and first person-accounts to illustrate the far-reaching impact of the pandemic,” judges said. The New York Times was honored with a total of eight awards, including five golds in a variety of categories.
BBC Travel tallied nine awards, including a Gold for Amanda Ruggeri’s “In Guatemala, the Maya World Untouched for Centuries” in Special-Purpose Travel. Judges cited her “storytelling and courage.”
Amanda Williams took Gold for her work on “A Dangerous Business Travel Blog,” a mix of trip tips and business advice, and CNTraveler earned the top award for Travel Journalism Websites.
Tonya Fitzpatrick, Ian Fitzpatrick and Edward Cole won Gold in Podcasts and Guides, one of two audio categories, for their “Escape From India During COVID-19,” the chilling story of American journalist Anietra Hamper’s fishing trip gone terribly wrong. In the other audio category, Annita Thomas took Gold for “Travel Bags With Annita Explores the Rice Culture of the Southern Low Country” on WDUN AM 550 and FM 102.9 in Gainesville, GA.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The Gold for Special Packages and Series went to The New York Times for “A Year Without Travel,” which “employed strong writing, graphics, videos and first person-accounts to illustrate the far-reaching impact of the pandemic,” judges said.
- Crossman's story, ostensibly about bull riding on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, was really about filling the need for community and connection in a time of isolation.
- Amanda Williams took Gold for her work on “A Dangerous Business Travel Blog,” a mix of trip tips and business advice, and CNTraveler earned the top award for Travel Journalism Websites.
