Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Robin Esrock Entry Title: Wining, dining and drifting: A culinary canal cruise through France’s Upper Loire Entry Credit: Robin Esrock, Jeff Topham Judge Comment: The lede was worth the prize -- wonderful wordsmithing. The writing was a delicious as the food it described. This could have been simply a diary of an extraordinary cruise, but it combined wit, wisdom and wonder to give us an entertaining experience. Well done.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Brandon Withrow Entry Title: Visiting the Galapagos Means More When You Were Raised on Creationism Entry Credit: Brandon Withrow Judge Comment: Fascinating look at a bucket-list cruise from a very unusual angle. While it included all the details of a normal cruise story, it dug much deeper into the emotions the trip generated for the author. It was simply a good read.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Blane Bachelor Entry Title: What It’s Like Sailing Norway With a Cruise Line That Guarantees You’ll See the Northern Lights Entry Credit: Blane Bachelor Judge Comment: Humor, information and commentary -- this was like sharing a trip with a friend. This is an entertaining piece that covered all the bases without being a simple play-by-play.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Zachary Laks Entry Title: How one gay couple found lasting love while cruising the world Entry Credit: Zachary Laks Judge Comment: Well written exploration of the concept of cruising from a special viewpoint. I think it had as much value to a straight reader as it did for a gay reader. It was just good journalism
