SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) Foundation
LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION 2025
Editorial Travel Website
GOLD! Adventure.com
Adventure.com was lauded as “a first-class travel website whose articles “connect travelers to the people who live in a destination” and reflect the “significance of the journey.”
Travel Video Story more than 2 mins
GOLD! – Matt Costa x Adventure.com: Explorations of Sight and Sound, Vol. 2
Coverage of Diverse Communities
HONORABLE MENTION: Claudia Laroye – Flying high: Meet the Métis woman behind Canada’s first Indigenous, woman-owned airline
TRAVEL MEDIA AWARDS 2025
Consumer Publication of the Year – Online
WINNER! Adventure.com
Judges awarded Adventure.com for the second year in a row “for its fearless storytelling that pulls you in”
Accessible Writer of the Year
WINNER: Sophie Morgan for a portfolio of work that included I’m a traveler who uses a wheelchair. And this is everything airlines need to do better
FINALIST: Dhruti Shah for a portfolio of work that included I’m autistic and anxious: This is what happened when I camped at my first festival
Consumer Writer of the Year
FINALIST: Kassondra Cloos for a portfolio of work that included I used to hate my Rhode Island hometown. Then I tried this
FINALIST: Claire Boobbyer for a portfolio of work that included Surviving and thriving: Meet the Havana changemakers forging a future in crisis Cuba
National Consumer Feature of the Year
FINALIST: Katja Gaskell – Carpooling? On vacation? Here’s what happened on a road trip across France using a ride-share app
Sustainability Travel Feature of the Year
FINALIST: Claire Boobbyer – Surviving and thriving: Meet the Havana changemakers forging a future in crisis Cuba
FINALIST: Robyn Wilson – Hurricane to hope: The story of Puerto Rico’s rebirth and regeneration
Photography Award
FINALIST: Christoffer Åhlén for a portfolio of work that included In photos: The Jamaican communities fighting to survive climate change post-Hurricane Beryl
Specialist Travel Writer of the Year – Sector
FINALIST: Sarah Reid for a portfolio of work covering adventure that included Pakistan is ready for tourists. Are tourists ready for Pakistan?
AITO TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2025 (announced 22 October 2025)
AITO Travel Writer of the Year – Over 1,500 words
FINALIST: Yvette Cook – We often hear about the power of tourism to bring meaningful change. Is it working for women in Saudi Arabia?
FINALIST: Meera Dattani – The other Camino: Hiking the coast-to-coast Camino de Costa Rica
AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year
FINALIST: Chiara Mapelli – A sip of hope: In drought-stricken Jordan, the art of winemaking continues to flourish
FINALIST: Leyla Rose – Bullet trains and golden temples: This is Java by train
MUMBRELLA TRAVEL MARKETING AWARDS 2025
Publication of the Year
WINNER! Adventure.com
Best Brand Partnership
FINALIST: Adventure.com with Tourism Tasmania x Jeep
MUMBRELLA PUBLISH AWARDS 2025
Publication of the Year
FINALIST: Adventure.com
Best Use of Video
FINALIST: Adventure.com with Intrepid Travel and Good&Proper for Tourism Tasmania & Jeep
TRAVMEDIA AWARDS (UK) 2025
Travel Media Website of the Year
FINALIST: Adventure.com
Specialist Travel Writer of the Year (Topic)
WINNER! Sophie Morgan for a portfolio of work on accessible travel which included I’m a traveler who uses a wheelchair. And this is everything airlines need to do better and I thought adventuring in the Canadian Rockies was a no-go for a disabled traveler like me. I was so wrong
VISIT USA MEDIA AWARDS 2025
Digital feature
FINALIST: Tayla Gentle – The Indigenous leaders and songkeepers putting California’s ancestral wisdom in the spotlight
Rising star
FINALIST: Kassondra Cloos – I used to hate my Rhode Island hometown. Then I tried this
SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) WESTERN CHAPTER AWARDS 2025
International feature
WINNER! (bronze): Zanny Merullo Steffgen – Competition or camaraderie? Inside the tight-knit community of Siem Reap’s tuk-tuk drivers
TRAVEL MEDIA ASSOCIATION OF CANADA (TMAC) AWARDS 2025
Best story on Indigenous tourism experience in Canada
FINALIST (Honorable Mention): Claudia Laroye – Flying high: Meet the Métis woman behind Canada’s first Indigenous, woman-owned airline
INSPIRE GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS (IGMAs) 2025
Consumer Online Feature of the Year: Europe
WINNER! Queenie Shaikh – Acapella songs and Alpine views: How Croatia transported me to the Pakistan of my childhood
Africa & The Indian Ocean
WINNER! Tamara Davison – Should you travel to the Middle East and North Africa in 2025?
FINALIST: Sarah Kingdom – 10 years ago Kadiatu Kamara couldn’t swim; now she’s Sierra Leone’s only pro female surfer
Asia, Australasia & Oceania
WINNER! Sarah Reid – Pakistan is ready for tourists. Are tourists ready for Pakistan?
FINALIST: Leyla Rose – Bullet trains and golden temples: This is Java by train
FINALIST: Tsewang Sherpa – ‘Angels’, ancient trees and acts of kindness abound on New Zealand’s 3,000-kilometer Te Araroa trail
North America
WINNER! Rashmi Narayan – You say Creole, I say Cajun. But don’t. Here’s why they’re not the same cuisine
FINALIST: Richard Franks – Why does the music sound so good at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater?
FINALIST: Tayla Gentle – The Indigenous leaders and song keepers putting California’s ancestral wisdom in the spotlight
FINALIST: Queenie Shaikh – If you want to get to know Detroit, eat the pizza
FINALIST: Robyn Wilson – Hurricane to hope: The story of Puerto Rico’s rebirth and regeneration
Latin America & The Caribbean
WINNER! Claire Boobbyer – Surviving and thriving: Meet the Havana changemakers forging a future in crisis Cuba
FINALIST: Charlotte McManus – “The promise of joy”: This ancient Mayan spirit is coming to a cocktail bar near you
Consumer Feature of the Year – Global
WINNER! Ash Bhardwaj – Ever wondered why we travel? This author has uncovered 12 universal motivations
FINALIST: Nori Jemil – Are we hardwired to buy souvenirs? The psychology of travel trinkets may surprise you
UK
FINALIST: Kassondra Cloos – How wallabies took over the Isle of Man
FINALIST: Shafik Meghji – The ‘desert’ of Kent: What we can learn from the history of Britain’s forgotten beaches
Broadcast of the Year
FINALIST: Tayla Gentle – Adventure.com x Matt Costa: ‘Explorations of Sight and Sound’ California
BESSIES AWARDS 2025 – by Wanderful
Most impactful piece of writing
For an inspiring, engaging, and community-oriented piece of writing that has encouraged dialogue and interaction in the last year.
FINALIST: Queenie Shaikh – Acapella songs and Alpine views: How Croatia transported me to the Pakistan of my childhood