2025-2026 SATW FOUNDATION
LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION
Judging was overseen by the University of Missouri School of Journalism with Jennifer Rowe, Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow; Professor Heather Isherwood, and newsroom coordinator, Ellie Newberry-Wortham, coordinating 26 judges this year. There were 1,568 entries.
From the menu at the right, you can access more information about the 2024-2026 winners. The List of Awards shows all winners by category, and the Winners Gallery provides the judges’ comments and links to winning entries in each category.
For competition information, contact the Foundation administrator, Victoria Larson, victoria@satwfoundation.org.
The 2025-2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition Awards Presentation Video
Watch the video that was first shown at the 2026 SATW Annual Convention in Haywood County, North Carolina.
SATW Foundation Announces Recipients of 2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards
Choosing among 1,568 entries, 26 judges at the University of Missouri School of Journalism conferred 120 awards on editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers in the 2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The awards, overseen and funded by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, were announced this week at the SATW annual convention in Haywood County, N.C.
The University of Missouri School of Journalism conducted the judging, managed by Jennifer Rowe, Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow, along with Professor Heather Isherwood and newsroom coordinator Ellie Newberry-Wortham, who coordinated the 26 judges.
“Trust was a recurring sentiment,” said Rowe and Isherwood. “With their hard-earned expertise and a shared passion for travel, the writers, producers and editors behind this year’s entries created a relationship of reliability with audiences.
“They showed themselves to be sources of dependable travel details while also displaying their humanity. Judges repeatedly mentioned that writers’ skilled storytelling made stories fresh, exciting and immersive. The entries also displayed a profound awareness of the world we live in now.”
SATW Foundation Announces Recipients of 2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026: Choosing among 1,568 entries, 26 judges at the University of Missouri School of Journalism conferred 120 awards on editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers in the 2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The awards, overseen and funded by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, were announced this week at the SATW annual convention in Haywood County, N.C.
The University of Missouri School of Journalism conducted the judging, managed by Jennifer Rowe, Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow, along with Professor Heather Isherwood and newsroom coordinator Ellie Newberry-Wortham, who coordinated the 26 judges.
“Trust was a recurring sentiment,” said Rowe and Isherwood. “With their hard-earned expertise and a shared passion for travel, the writers, producers and editors behind this year’s entries created a relationship of reliability with audiences.
“They showed themselves to be sources of dependable travel details while also displaying their humanity. Judges repeatedly mentioned that writers’ skilled storytelling made stories fresh, exciting and immersive. The entries also displayed a profound awareness of the world we live in now.”
Jen Rose Smith received the Gold Award as Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year. The judges commended Smith’s “combination of literary elegance, immersive reporting, environmental awareness and cultural sophistication across a remarkably diverse portfolio.”
The Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention awards for Travel Journalist of the Year went to Jeff Chu, Lisa Abend and Natalie Preddie, respectively.
The Wall Street Journal won Gold for Newspaper Travel Coverage, led by Lifestyle Editor Sebastian Modak. “The deep dive into the Maine apple industry was a highlight,” judges said.
Travel + Leisure Magazine, led by editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Gifford, won Gold for Travel Magazines. The magazine “sets the pace as an authority in travel magazines with crisp design, stimulating story selection, clear writing and ambitious scope,” judges said.
National Parks Magazine picked up the Gold Award in Travel Coverage in General Magazines. The travel coverage led by Rona Marech “demonstrates an exceptional command of place-based storytelling that blends immersive travel writing with environmental journalism, cultural history, and deeply human reporting,” judges said.
The Gold Award for Editorial Travel Website went to BBC Travel. BBC Travel, led by Deputy Editor Elliot Stein, “is noteworthy for its comprehensive and altogether delightful mix of content, but it is also remarkable for its surprising headlines, stunning visuals and breadth of tips and ideas,” judges said.
The Lowell Thomas Awards support, celebrate and sustain excellence in travel journalism, said Catharine Hamm, president of the SATW Foundation.
“We also are proud of the independent judging by the faculty of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, a top journalism school,” Hamm said. “We are also grateful for the donations from the Board of Directors, SATW members and many other contributors who make these awards possible.”
The awards are named for Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and world explorer during five decades in travel journalism.
The Foundation’s first Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition celebrated travel works, beginning with the first awards in 1984. Since then, the Foundation has awarded nearly $700,000 to winners in the contest, the highest honor in North American travel journalism.
The sustainability of the annual competition is made possible by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of brands. Its contribution helps make the prizes possible and supports the future of high-quality travel media.
Please see the 2026 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition winners below:
Awards For Works Published in 2025-2026
FULL LIST OF AWARDS
101 Grand Award – Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year
Gold: Jen Rose Smith, Richmond, Vermont
Silver: Jeff Chu, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Bronze: Lisa Abend, Fredericksberg, Denmark
Honorable Mention: Natalie Preddie, Toronto, Ontario
102 – Travel Magazines
Gold: Travel + Leisure, Jacqueline Gifford, Editor-in-Chief
Silver: Condé Nast Traveler, Divia Thani, Global Editorial Director; Erin Florio, Global Features Director
Bronze: AFAR, Julia Cosgrove, Editor-in-Chief
Honorable Mention: National Park Trips, Mikeala Ruland, Editor-in-Chief; Hernan Sosa, Art Director
Category 103: Travel Coverage in General Magazines
Gold: National Parks Magazine, Rona Marech, Editor-in-Chief; Nicolas Brulliard, Senior Editor; Nicole Yin, Art & Photo Director; Katherine DeGroff, Associate Editor
Silver: Outside Magazine, Kevin Simtumuang, Editor-in-Chief; Kathleen Rellihan, Senior Travel & Culture Editor
Bronze: Midwest Living, Kylee Krizmanic, Editor-in-Chief; Hannah Agran, Executive Editor; Julia Sayers Gokhale, Senior Travel Editor
Honorable Mention: Garden & Gun, David DiBenedetto, Editor-in-Chief; CJ Lotz Diego, Senior Editor
104 Editorial Travel Website,
Gold: BBC Travel, Eliot Stein, Deputy Editor; Ellie Cobb, Editor
Silver: Azure Road, Lauren Mowery
Bronze: Go World Travel Magazine, Janna Graber
105 Newspaper Travel Coverage
Gold: The Wall Street Journal, Sebastian Modak, Lifestyle Editor; Bowdeya Tweh, Chicago Bureau Chief
Silver: The Plain Dealer, Susan Glaser, Travel Editor
Bronze: The New York Times, Amy Virshup, Travel Editor
Honorable Mention: The Boston Globe, Chris Morris, Deputy Living & Arts Editor
106 Robert Haru Fisher Award for Travel Health/Safety Coverage
Gold: Randy Johnson, ‘The Backcountry Beckons,’ WNC Magazine
Silver: Samantha Leal, ‘What to Do If Approached by ICE at the Airport, Border, Workplace, or Home,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Bronze: Wendy Helfenbaum, ‘Scents and Sensibility,’ NextAvenue.org
Honorable Mention: Ruffin Prevost, ‘7 Things Travelers Should Never Do When They Encounter Wildlife,’ AFAR
Category 107: U.S./Canada Travel
Gold: Peter Fish, ‘Highway 89 Revisited,’ Alta Journal
Silver: Eliot Stein, ‘The Stunning Canadian Island You Can See But Not Touch,’ BBC Travel
Bronze: Sarah Khan,‘Boston Uncommon,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Hannah Elliott, ‘To Understand the U.S. in 2026, Travel to Texas,’ Bloomberg Pursuits
Category 108: Foreign Travel
Gold: Chris Colin, ‘Botswana by Bike and by Plane, by Boat, by Car, by Foot,’ AFAR
Silver: Justin Goldman, ‘Emilia-Romagna: Slow Food, Fast Cars,’ Via Magazine
Bronze: Ryan Knighton, ‘Senses of Place,’ AFAR
Honorable Mention: Stephen Casimiro, ‘The Social Backpacking Network,’ Adventure Journal
Category 109: Cruise Travel
Gold: Robin Esrock and Jeff Topham,‘Wining, Dining and Drifting: A Culinary Canal Cruise Through France’s Upper Loire,’ Canadian Geographic
Silver: Brandon Withrow, ‘Visiting the Galapagos Means More When You Were Raised on Creationism,’ Insidehook.com
Bronze: Blane Bachelor, ‘What It’s Like Sailing Norway With a Cruise Line That Guarantees You’ll See the Northern Lights,’ AFAR
Honorable Mention: Zachary Laks, ‘How One Gay Couple Found Lasting Love While Cruising the World,’ Out Magazine
Category 110: Adventure Travel
Gold: Cassidy Randall, ‘The Longest Journey,’ The Atavist Magazine
Silver: Benjamin Polley, ‘They Were Lost in the Wild and On the Verge of Death. This Is How They Survived.,’ The Guardian US
Bronze: Stephen Eginoire, ‘Buried Treasure: A Vast Network of Recently Discovered and Newly Explored Caves is Pushing the Frontiers of the Grand Canyon—and Science,’ Adventure Journal
Honorable Mention: Maya Silver ‘Can Tandem BASE Jumping Be a Powerful Form of Therapy?,’ Outside
Category 111: Travel News/Investigative Reporting
Gold: Stephanie Pearson, ‘America’s Most Endangered Public Lands 2026,’ RE:PUBLIC Lands Media
Silver: Ceylan Yeğinsu,, ‘For Victims of Sexual Assault on Cruise Ships, Justice Can Be Elusive,’ The New York Times
Bronze: Lola Méndez, ‘The Effort to Create the First-Ever National List of Endangered Latinx Landmarks,’ Fodor’s Travel
Honorable Mention: William J. McGee, ‘America’s Air Traffic Control Needs Fixing—Here’s What to Do (and Not to Do),’ Frommer Media
112 Service-Oriented Consumer Work
Gold: Taryn Shorr-McKee,‘A Month-By-Month Guide to Trip Planning,’ Lonely Planet
Silver: Zac Thompson,‘What Is the Best Travel Pillow for a Long Flight? Our Tests Revealed a Clear Winner,’ Frommer Media
Bronze: Wing Sze Tang, ‘How to Travel Like It’s Your Job,’ Where in the World?
Honorable Mention: Stacy Tillilie,‘11 Ride-Hailing Safety Tips Every Passenger Should Know,’ AAA Club Alliance’s The Extra Mile Digital
Category 113: Environmental and Sustainable Tourism
Gold: Lindsey Liles, ‘Saving the Venus Flytrap: How One Woman Rallied a Town Around Its Weirdest Attraction,’ Garden & Gun
Silver: Anna Fiorentino, ‘The Race Is On to Save the Alps, Famous Huts and Trails as Melting Permafrost Threatens to Destroy Them,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Bronze: Anna Fiorentino, ‘This Sacred Site is One of the World’s Oldest Nature Reserves,’ National Geographic
Honorable Mention: Frances Mayes,‘Voices of the Okenfenokee,’ Garden & Gun
Category 114: Cultural Tourism
Gold: Naomi Tomky, ‘In Search of Greece’s Once-Great Jewish City,’ BBC Travel
Silver: Caleb Gayle, ‘On the Trail of the Exodusters,’ WildSam
Bronze: Tracey Teo, ‘The Thrill is Not Gone: A Mississippi Road Trip Celebrates B.B. King’s 100th Birthday and His Influence on the Blues,’ AAA Explorer, Auto Club of Southern California
Honorable Mention: Natalie Preddie, ‘The Truth About Being Black in the Outdoors,’ Explore Magazine
Category 115: Culinary-Related Travel
Gold: Christine Muhlke, ‘Over the Hills and Far Away,’ Travel + Leisure
Silver: Tom Downey, ‘Passion Fruit,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Bronze: Mark Orwoll, ‘The Real Story on Dominica Is Bush Rum. Lots of Bush Rum. For, um, Medicinal Purposes…,’ Highbrow Magazine
Honorable Mention: Mark Ellwood, ‘The Breakfast Test: Why the Morning Meal Is the Most Revealing Way to Judge a Luxury Hotel,’ AFAR
Category 116: Special-Purpose Travel
Gold: Masha Hamilton, ‘I’ve Gone to Look for America,’ The Atavist Magazine
Silver: Kim Cross, ‘Out of the Wild / I Tracked a Wild Salmon from Sea to Plate – What I Learned Surprised Me,’ Food & Wine
Bronze: Peter Ross, ‘Into the Great Beyond,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Honorable Mention: Kathryn Romeyn, ‘My Dad Can’t Travel Like He Used to, but Slowing Down Doesn’t Mean Stopping,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Category 117: Coverage of Diverse Communities
Gold: Sean Carlson, ‘Painting the Last Photograph,’ New England Review
Silver: Thomas Page McBee, ‘Modern Gothic,’ Travel + Leisure
Bronze: David Farley, ‘Eating in Minneapolis Has Never Been Better, or More Vital,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Maya Silver, ‘Extreme Equalizers: These Moab Guides Are Making Adventure Accessible to People with Disabilities,’ Outside
Category 118: Personal Comment
Gold: Jessica Lockhart, ‘Grief On The Nile,’ Lonely Planet
Silver: Samaa Emad, ‘To Cook in Gaza,’ Roads & Kingdoms
Bronze: Matt Goulding, Michael Magers, ‘Dear Tony,’ Roads & Kingdoms
Honorable Mention: Tim Neville, ‘Keep Greenland Wild,’ Outside
Category 119: Multimedia Single Work
Gold: Lale Arikoglu, Megan Spurrell, ‘The Women Who Travel Power List 2026,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Silver: Yutao Chen, Gabe Hiatt, Lauren Bulbin, Christine Ashack, Allie Caren, ‘A dinosaur road trip through the American West,’ The Washington Post
Bronze: Kevin Wagar, ‘Cruising the Galapagos Islands With Kids: A Multi-Generational Family Adventure,’ Wandering Wagars – Adventure Family Travel
Honorable Mention: Megan McCrea, ‘100 Years of the Motel,’ The New York Times
Category 120: Special Packages/Series
Gold: Gabe Hiatt, Greg Schimmel, Lauren Bulbin, ‘The 10 Best College Football Towns in America,’ The Washington Post
Silver: Kwin Mosby, Hannah Cheney, Allison Hess, Emily Martin, Hannah Tak, ‘Best of the World 2026,’ National Geographic Traveler
Bronze: Hannah Sampson, Andrew Van Dam, Edward Russell, Gabe Hiatt, ‘The 50 Best Airports in America, Ranked,’ The Washington Post
Honorable Mention: The Staff of The New York Times and contributing writers, ‘Travel Secrets,’ The New York Times
Category 121: Still Photography on Travel
Gold: Erin Trieb, ‘The Teahouses at the Top of the World,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Silver: Lanna Apisukh, ‘First Comes Retirement. Then Comes the Permanent Vacation,’ The Washington Post
Bronze: Kari Medig, ‘Skis, Schnapps and Lederhosen,’ Range by Ensemble
Honorable Mention: Maya Visnyei, ‘Lanzarote’s Force of Nature,’ Range by Ensemble
Category 122: Travel Book (other than guidebook)
Gold: Stephanie Elizondo Griest, ‘Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life,’ Beacon Press
Silver: Everett Potter, Allyson Johnson, ‘100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime,’ National Geographic Books
Bronze: Mike Bezemek,‘Mysteries of the National Parks,’ Sourcebooks
Honorable Mention: Freda Moon, Ashley Harrell,‘100 Beaches of a Lifetime,’ National Geographic Books
Category 123: Guidebook
Gold: Dawn Barclay, ‘Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States,’ Level Best Books
Silver: Jason Frye, ‘Moon USA National Parks Hiking,’ Avalon Travel
Bronze: Jane Wooldridge, ‘Comfort in the Wild: 100+ Idyllic Nature Destinations, No Roughing It Required,’ Frommer Media
Honorable Mention: Teresa Bergen, ‘Sober Travel Handbook,’ Microcosm Publishing
Category 124a: Travel Audio-Radio
Gold: Rick Steves, Tim Tattan, Donna Bardsley, Kasmira Hall, Travel with Rick Steves Radio Show and Podcast Episode: ‘Twenty Years; The Vanishing Point; Martin Sheen’s Travels,’ Rick Steves Europe
Silver: Annita Thomas, ‘Destination: Switzerland – A Closer Look,’ Travel with Annita
Bronze: Robert J Carey Jr, Mary W Carey, Rudy Maxa, Valerie B Selig, Bob F Bucci, RMWorldTravel – America’s #1 Travel Radio Show | ‘Let’s Go America! Tour – Maui 2025’ | RMWorldTravelConnection
Honorable Mention: Annita Thomas, ‘Destination: Sapelo Island Knobbed Whelks,’ Travel with Annita
Category 124b: Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides
Gold: Aislyn Greene, ‘The Amazon at Night Is Dolby Sound—What It’s Like to Visit Peru as a Blind Traveler,’ Unpacked by AFAR
Silver: Whitney Phaneuf, Dan Miller, April Kilcrease, ‘Close Encounters with UFO Hot Spots: Area 51, Roswell, and the Great ET Road Trip,’ Via Magazine
Bronze: Derrik Lang, John McQueen, Angie Orth, Ginni Saraswati-Cook, ‘Celebrating the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th Anniversary in Nashville, Tennessee,’ Traveling with AAA, Auto Club of Southern California
Honorable Mention: Todd Christopher, ‘Of Hawks and Hellcats,’ National Parks Magazine
Category 125a: Travel Video Story More Than 2 Minutes
Gold: William Tang, ‘Quebec Maritime Road Trip for Whales, Hikes, and Lighthouses,’ Going Awesome Places
Silver: Shivya Nath, ‘Slow Travel in Bali,’ The Shooting Star
Bronze: Ellie Cobb,‘The Korean food ritual that Leads to Happiness,’ BBC Travel
Honorable Mention: Bob Krist,‘Jerez: The Story of Sherry,’ Bob Krist – Youtube
Category 125b: Travel Video Story 2 Minutes or Less
Gold: Natalie Compton, ‘Is the Viral Day Trip Worth It? I tested it,’ The Washington Post
Silver: Deepa Lakshmin, ‘Sober Travel Tips, Deepa Lakshmin,’ Lonely Planet
Bronze: Hannah Towey, Bridget Knowles, Fatama Choudhury, ‘Experience the Thrill of Plane Spotting with AvGeeks in NYC,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Cory Lee, ‘Visiting the Vatican in a Wheelchair,’ Curb Free with Cory Lee
Category 126: Travel Blog
Gold: Beth Reiber, TravelReiber
Silver: Burcu Basar, Letters from Asia
Bronze: Rosie Bell, RosieBell
Honorable Mention: William Tang, Going Awesome Places
Category 127: Instagram Storytelling
Gold: Shivya Nath, ‘Conscious Travel,’ @shivya
Silver: Pia Peterson, Ann Douglas Lott, Annemarie McCarthy, James Pham, Deepa Lakshmin, ‘Ultimate Trip,’ @LonelyPlanet
Bronze: Nneya Richards, ‘Island Life Beyond the Postcards – Shaped by History, Culture and Constraint,’ @Nneya
Honorable Mention: Lina Stock, ‘High Arctic Svalbard,’ @divergenttravelers
Category 128: Short Narrative
Gold: Stephanie Pearson, For One Perfect Day, Apostle Islands Ice Caves Re-Opened After 11 Years,’ Outside
Silver: Larry Bleiberg,‘This Little Tennessee Town Welcomes a Once-in-a-Century Carousel of Dreams,’ Garden & Gun
Bronze: Daliah Singer, ‘The Galápagos Islands Overdeliver on Awe,’ GlobalTraveler
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Thompson,‘This Unassuming Neighborhood Coffeeshop Was Just Named the Best in the World,’ Travel + Leisure
See All the Results, Judging Comments and Winning Entries.
The SATW Foundation is proud to present the Winners Gallery, showcasing all the winning entries. At the gallery, click on any category to see the winners by place with comments by the judges. For each award, there are icons to click and see the winning work, either online or in a PDF. In a few cases, such as the magazine and book categories, links are not available.
BetterBNC, the online awards platform the Foundation uses for the contest, provides the Winners Gallery. From the page with the list of categories, you can click the SATW Foundation logo at the top of page to return to the SATW Foundation homepage website or click on your back arrow in the top left hand side of your screen to return to this screen.
We are happy to salute all our winners and showcase their entries. We hope you enjoy seeing their work.
The Prizes
This year, the SATW Foundation is giving 119 awards in 30 categories and more than $25,000 in prize money to journalists in recognition of outstanding travel journalism.
The Grand Award earns the Gold winner $1,500, the Silver winner $750 and the Bronze place $500.
In individual categories, first-place Gold carries a $500 prize, Silver $250 and Bronze $150. The categories for Best Newspaper Travel Coverage, Best Magazines and Best Travel Journalism Websites are not given monetary awards.
The sustainability of the annual competition is made possible by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of brands. Its contribution helps make the prizes possible and supports the future of quality travel media.
The sustainability of the annual SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition is supported by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter CARNIVAL CORP., the world’s largest cruise company.
The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation was begun in 1981 by a group of SATW writers, editors and public relations professionals who were concerned about the future of travel journalism.
SATW (the Society of American Travel Writers) is the pre-eminent professional association of travel journalists and communicators. Learn more about this premier networking organization by visiting its website, www.satw.org.
