14 Oct 2013
2013 Winners of Travel Journalism Awards for Excellence Announced
Over 100 members from the travel industry came together at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast on Saturday to celebrate the very best in travel journalism; with 12 category winners announced for the 2013 Travel Journalism Awards for Excellence.
The Awards included the esteemed ASTW Travel Writer of the Year category, which was sponsored by Etihad and presented by Marketing Manager Jessica Ullmann to Louise Southerden who took out the same accolade in 2012, as well as 2013 categories for Best International Story Over 1,000 Words and Best Responsible Tourism Story.
Photographer of the Year was awarded to Roderick Eime who, thanks to South African Tourism and South African Airways will enjoy a trip to South Africa. Communicator of the Year was awarded to long-serving PR Member of the ASTW Committee and the organiser of the glamorous weekend’s festivities, Lynne Ireland of Inspired Luxury.
Life Membership was also awarded to Industry icon, Helen Wong with the Jack Butters Memorial Award presented to Kay O’Sullivan.
Kerry Heaney, who was elected as the incoming President of the ASTW at the Society’s Annual General Meeting earlier in the weekend, was impressed by the calibre of finalists and winners; and inspired by the opportunity to lead the Society in what will be a year of ongoing change for the media landscape in Australia.
“I’d like to congratulate all of our finalists and winners at this year’s Travel Journalism Awards for Excellence. Their dedication to upholding our integrity of producing excellent quality communications should be highly commended. Special mention must be made to our key event sponsors Palazzo Versace, Vibe Hotels and TravMedia and the sponsors and prize supporters of each category. We must also thank our judges who collectively read thousands of words to review the winners,” said Kerry.
“I am also looking forward to taking over the reins as the President of the Committee and ushering in another exciting year of journalism and promotion of the travel industry.”
Full details of the Award Categories, Judges, Finalists and Winners; as well as comments from Judges on the winning entry can be found on the ASTW website – www.astw.org.au
For further information, please contact:
Annike Morgan – PR Member of the 2013/2014 ASTW Committee
+61 411 425 549
EDITOR’S NOTE
FULL LIST OF FINALISTS, AWARD WINNERS AND COMMENTS FROM JUDGES:
ASTW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY ETIHAD
PRIZE: A trip to German courtesy of ETIHAD and A-ROSA Cruises.
WINNER: Louise Southerden
FINALISTS:
Louise Southerden
Rob McFarland
Ute Junker
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Each of the three pieces skilfully evoked the environment in a fresh and engaging way. The tone was authentic and whether he/she was writing about Okinawa, the Australian Outback, or Cambodia, each piece transported the reader and combined relevant information with solid storytelling.
ASTW PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM AND SAA
PRIZE: A trip to South Africa including accommodation at Ulusaba, One & Only Cape Town and Johannesburg.
WINNER: Roderick Eime
FINALISTS:
Roderick Eime
Andrew Bain
Cathy Finch
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Excellent image. Good use of perspective and scale. The lighting is spot on and the viewer is able to experience the remote and exotic feel of this boat and the people aboard. Perfect! This image has it all. Nice angel of subject ship, great colour, ice in the background and the lights reflected on the water.
ASTW PR COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY TRAVMEDIA
PRIZE: The latest iPad
WINNER: Lynne Ireland
FINALISTS:
Lynne Ireland
Shelley Winkel
Mike Smith
This Award is judged by the Travel Writer Members of the Society.
BEST USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA: PR – SPONSORED BY KLICK COMMUNICATIONS
PRIZE: Flights and accommodation at The Henry Jones Art Hotel
WINNER: Karena Noble
FINALISTS:
Karena Noble, Voyages
Annike Morgan, PPR
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
This entry completely encompasses everything that the Digital PR award is about. With a very focused strategy, Voyages highly engaged Facebook audience required minimum effort to bring this initiative to life. Word-of-mouth and the virality of this campaign proved it was a great success without very little financial outlay.
BEST USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA: TRAVEL WRITER – SPONSORED BY MACAU GOVERNMENT TOURIST OFFICE
PRIZE: A trip to Macau and Hong Kong
WINNER: Christina Pfeiffer
FINALISTS:
Christina Pfeiffer
Kerry Heaney
Lee Mylne
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
I was extremely impressed with the submissions this year. There’s been a huge improvement in terms of quality of digital writing, as well as their offering and understanding of cross-channel PR/marketing
BEST TRAVEL INDUSTRY ANALYSIS – SPONSORED BY OUTRIGGER HOTELS & RESORTS
PRIZE: Trip to Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach & Outrigger Reef on the Beach
WINNER: Tim Richards
FINALISTS:
Christina Pfeiffer
Robert Upe
Tim Richards
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
An excellent, superbly written piece involving fascinating research on changing times that shows the cost of travel today is perhaps not as expensive as one might perceive when compared to past years. Travelling is, indeed, just as much of a bargain today as it always was.
BEST JOURNEY OR ADVENTURE – SPONSORED BY WORLD EXPEDITIONS
PRIZE: A trek through the iconic Larapinta Trail
WINNER: Lee Atkinson
FINALISTS:
Andrew Bain
Lee Atkinson
Louise Southerden
Robert Upe
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
The originality of the writing, which went beyond being safe, perfectly captured the experience of the trip.
BEST RESPONSIBLE TOURISM STORY – SPONSORED BY DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES AUSTRALIA
PRIZE: A trip to Heron and Wilson Islands
WINNER: Louise Southerden
FINALISTS:
Angela Saurine
Christina Pfeiffer
Louise Southerden
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Shows divers ways to give back. Simply written, but effective in message.
BEST INTERNATIONAL STORY UNDER 1,000 WORDS – SPONSORED BY TOURISM FIJI
PRIZE: Accommodation at Likuliku Lagoon Resort and the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
WINNER: Andrew Bain
FINALISTS:
Andrew Bain
Cameron Cope
David McGonigal
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Striking piece, beautifully written. Makes me want to take the trip, which is saying something for an 8-day road journey. It's romantic without being sentimental or trite.
BEST INTERNATIONAL STORY OVER 1,000 WORDS – SPONSORED BY TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND
PRIZE: A trip to Bangkok
WINNER: Louise Southerden
FINALISTS:
Brian Johnston
Craig Tansley
Louise Southerden
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Original idea, original writing and an original destination.
BEST AUSTRALIA STORY UNDER 1,000 WORDS – SPONSORED BY HAMILTON ISLAND
PRIZE: A trip to the Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island
WINNER: Sue Gough Henly
FINALISTS:
Kara Murphy
Rob McFarland
Sue Gough Henly
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
A colourful piece which looks at a remote area of Australia not visited as much as neighbouring areas. Entertaining and enlightening.
BEST AUSTRALIAN STORY OVER 1,000 WORDS – SPONSORED BY VOYAGES INDIGENOUS TOURISM
PRIZE: A trip to Uluru with accommodation at 5-star Sails in the Desert Hotel and Sounds of Silence dinner
WINNER: Andrew Bain
FINALISTS:
Andrew Bain
Craig Tansley
Sue Gough Henly
QUOTE FROM JUDGES:
Beyond the Bay scored highly on all criteria, especially quality of writing, reader interest, and information. There was excellent scene.
