Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Atavist Magazine Entry Title: I've Gone to Look for America Entry Credit: Masha Hamilton Judge Comment: This story, masterfully told through the lens of a hurting mom and wounded citizen, captures the honest wrestling of several United States citizens who are living in a tense and polarizing political climate. The grayscale visuals are arresting, and the writer’s descriptions are equally captivating, as readers are effortlessly brought along on the journey of wondering and cautious hope.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Kim Cross Entry Title: Out of the Wild / I Tracked a Wild Salmon from Sea to Plate - What I Learned Surprised Me Entry Credit: Kim Cross Judge Comment: This story blends travel writing with intimate, firsthand storytelling, tracing a journey from water to table with a deep respect for the animal at its center. Along the way, it becomes more than one story—part business, part environmental science, and wholly human in its reach and relevance. The narrative unfolds with striking detail, pulling readers through unexpected turns that feel as revealing for the writer as they are for the audience. It’s a piece that lingers, inviting reflection from anyone who encounters it—and even from those who don’t, through its broader impact.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Smithsonian Magazine Entry Title: Into the Great Beyond Entry Credit: Peter Ross Judge Comment: While visiting graveyards might typically seem an eerie venture, the writer expertly conveys the honor, fascination, and celebration of the dead that is so familiar to Parisians. Poetic descriptions bring these famous cemeteries to stunning life, and detailed, provocative depictions of visitors and their reasons for brushing shoulders with the dead are delightful to discover.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kathryn Romeyn Entry Title: My Dad Can't Travel Like He Used to, but Slowing Down Doesn't Mean Stopping Entry Credit: Kathryn Romeyn Judge Comment: This piece is grounded in an intimate, deeply personal journey, yet it opens outward to something many readers will recognize. The writer shares a family trip shaped by shifting roles with a tenderness that never feels forced, honoring both love and loss in real time. Through vivid moments and quiet reflection, the story captures what it means to travel alongside aging, not in spite of it. Its message resonates well beyond one family: that slowing down can still carry us forward, offering a hopeful, universal reminder for anyone trying to make the most of time together.
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