SATW Foundation Recognizes Best Travel Writing Media contact: Mary Lu Abbott SATW Foundation 713-532-6461 maryluabbott@aol.com ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Sept. 7) – National Geographic Traveler won seven awards and Travel + Leisure earned six – four of them gold places – to lead winners in the 20th Annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Foundation. It also was a close race among major newspapers. The Washington Post took five awards, the highest number, and The Boston Globe picked up four honors, including a Grand Award and two gold places. The Los Angeles Times had three awards, including the top Grand Award-Travel Journalist of the Year and a gold place. The competition for work in 2003-04 drew 1,330 entries, the third highest number, not far off the record 1,470 in 2002. Faculty at the University of Missouri School of Journalism judged the competition. The awards were announced today in St. Moritz at the 49th annual convention of SATW, the pre-eminent professional organization of travel journalists and communicators. Recognized as the most prestigious honors in the field of travel journalism, the awards program is celebrating 20 years of growth in rewarding outstanding work. The competition has grown from 15 to 27 categories, including a variety of media and subjects. The first year, the SATW Foundation gave $7,000 in prize money and 30 awards. This year, there are 99 awards and the Foundation now annually gives journalists $19,850 in prize money. This year’s Grand Award Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year title goes to Rosemary McClure of the Los Angeles Times. She will receive $1,500 and a plaque. The Boston Globe won the gold for best Newspaper Travel Section among publications with 500,000 or more circulation. Gold winners in other circulation categories were The Baltimore Sun, the San Jose Mercury News and the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, IL. This is the third year in a row that the Daily Herald has won the gold, so it has earned a retirement of two years from its category in accord with competition rules. Travel + Leisure was judged best Travel Magazine, and Southern Living took top honors in the category for Travel Coverage in Other Magazines, those which include non-travel topics. Travel + Leisure also won gold places in Magazine Article on Foreign Travel, Magazine Photo Illustration of a Travel Article and Special Packages/Projects. The gold winner in Internet Travel Publication/Web Site was LonelyPlanet.com. “Moon Handbooks Four Corners” by Julian Smith was judged best Guidebook and “Making Connections: Mother-Daughter Travel Adventures” with Wendy Knight, editor, was named best Travel Book. The competition is open to all North American journalists. A total of 24 North American newspapers, 20 magazines, 6 Internet media and 7 book publishers were represented among the 99 awards announced. First place-gold winners in individual categories each receive $500 and a plaque. Silver and bronze winners receive $250 and $150 respectively along with a certificate. Plaques and certificates, but no monetary awards, are given in the competition for best Newspaper Travel Section (four circulation categories), Travel Magazine, Travel Coverage in Other Magazines and Internet Travel Publication/Web Site. The awards are named for the late Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and modern-day world explorer who achieved numerous “firsts” during five decades in travel journalism. A complete list of winners accompanies this news release. For more information about the competition, contact Mary Lu Abbott, SATW Foundation, 713-532-6461 or maryluabbott@aol.com. For information about SATW, contact the organization headquarters, (919) 861-5586 or visit www.satw.org. Information about the competition and winners also is posted at www.satw.org. See attached list of winners. | 
