Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Naomi Tomky Entry Title: In search of Greece's once-great Jewish city Entry Credit: Naomi Tomky Judge Comment: This is an exceptional blend of elegant writing, deeply grounded reporting and profound cultural insight as viewed through the lens of Thessaloniki’s vanished Sephardic Jewish community. It is more than a travel story, it is an excavation of memory, identity and historical loss. Reporting is layered and thoughtful, weaving history, architecture, food and personal testimony into a narrative that feels intimate and expansive. This story transforms the reader’s understanding of place: Greece emerges as a landscape shaped by cultural rupture, resilience and remembrance. This is sophisticated cultural journalism that lingers long after reading.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Caleb Gayle Entry Title: On the Trail of the Exodusters Entry Credit: Caleb Gayle Judge Comment: An ambitious and innovative story, it traces the history of the Exodusters, framing migration as cultural inheritance. It connects geography, freedom, memory and Black identity in intelligently resonant ways. The writing is lyrical yet disciplined, and the reporting grounds the narrative in historical reality . Gayle successfully transforms familiar American landscapes into places charged with aspiration, struggle and reinvention. The story broadens the genre of cultural travel by showing how movement across place can shape identity across generations. This is a powerful and memorable work that layers literary grace atop historical depth.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Auto Club of Southern California Entry Title: The Thrill is Not Gone: A Mississippi road trip celebrates B.B. King's 100th birthday and his influence on the blues Entry Credit: Tracey Teo Judge Comment: This immersive exploration of Mississippi blues culture showcases the music not as entertainment but as lived experience in race and survival. Driven by solid reporting and strong sourcing from musicians and community voices, the article captures a culture that remains vibrant, evolving and inseparable from the Delta itself. The writing is atmospheric without becoming nostalgic, and the story consistently connects music to the larger historical realities of labor, race, hardship and resilience. The result is cultural journalism with both heart and historical weight.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Natalie Preddie Entry Title: The Truth About Being Black in the Outdoors Entry Credit: Natalie Preddie Judge Comment: A bold and contemporary piece expands the definition of cultural travel journalism by examining the outdoors through the lens of belonging, visibility and access. Rather than treating nature as neutral space, Preddie explores how race shapes outdoor experience and cultural participation. Her writing is immediate and engaging, while the reporting grounds the story in larger social and historical context. Most importantly, the piece challenges readers to reconsider assumptions about who feels welcome in outdoor spaces and why.
