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Five travel journalists have captured top honors in the U.S. Travel Association and Brand USA’s 2022 IPW Travel Writer Awards competition. The winners were announced during a media reception at IPW, the U.S. Travel Association’s annual international inbound travel trade show, in Orlando. U.S. Travel, which coordinates the awards, received more than 150 entries from journalists representing five continents. Click to download photo. The winners are as follows:
Best IPW Host City (Las Vegas, Nevada) — Mariana Mijares, a freelance travel writer from Mexico, took top honors in this category for her story, “Las Vegas: La Cara Que No Conocías,” published in EnVIVA Revista. The “Best IPW Host City” category judges media placements that highlight the most recent IPW host city destination. Mijares’s article provided insight to hiking, skiing and desert adventures for visitors looking to maximize their trip to the capital of gaming and entertainment. The judges remarked that the article provided a fresh perspective on Las Vegas by focusing on the lesser-known aspects of the great outdoors and the opportunity to reconnect with nature in the desert and the mountains, in addition to highlighting new attractions near the Strip.
Finalists in this category were Natalia Manczyk (Brazil) for her article, “Casamento em Las Vegas: passo a passo,” published in Mundo Viajar and Dirk Baumgartl (Germany) for his article “Las Vegas – Showtime!,” published in Spartacus Traveler.
Best Trade Publication Article — Harmke Kraak of The Netherlands took top honors in the trade category for her article, “De magie van Oregon Crater Lake,” published in We Love Travel magazine.
Kraak’s article provided a first-person narrative of her road trip from Portland to Crater Lake, one of Oregon’s seven wonders. The judging committee felt the article hit all the right notes in spotlighting the state’s nature and culinary offerings, noting that Kraak’s photography really brought the piece to life.
Two additional writers were recognized as finalists in the trade category: Leonardo Neves, editor-in-chief of Brasilturis Jornal (Brazil), for his article “Um pouco de tudo em cada canto” and Jonathan Thompson (United Kingdom), for his piece “Rock Solid” in ASPIRE Magazine.
Best U.S. Travel Destination — Due to the high number of outstanding entries in this category, three winners are selected annually by the judges.
The first winner was United Kingdom journalist Aaron Millar for his article, “Going for Gold,” published in National Geographic Traveller. Millar’s article was an evocative feature on Georgia’s Golden Isles, where he vividly described the stunning scenery and nature from diverse cities to marshes. The judges noted that upon finishing Millar’s story, they wanted to meet every person he encountered on the trip and that the article served as a reminder of the important and valuable exchanges between locals and travelers.
The second winner for “Best U.S. Travel Destination Article” was German travel writer Andrea Bonder, for her piece Mississippi: Einfach treiben lassen, published in Reise & Preise magazine. Bonder’s article was a deep dive into three states along the Mississippi River, providing readers with a detailed guide for travel within the Deep South, the American Heartland, and the Mid-West. The judges remarked that the writing, great use of maps and photos used to illustrate the destinations made for a very helpful travel article for trip-planning.
Larry Bleiberg, a freelance writer from the United States, was the third winner in the “Best U.S. Travel Destination Article” category. Bleiberg’s article, “Atlanta’s unexpected civil rights museum: Its airport,” showed that the world’s busiest airport was more than just a place to catch a plane. Bleiberg discovered that it was also a surprising place to learn about civil rights challenges and triumphs.
Finalists in the “Best U.S. Travel Destination Article” category were Roberto Serrini (Australia) for his article, “Adventure on Tap,” published in Get Lost Magazine; Louise Alkjaer (Denmark) for her article, “Her er maden krydret, drinksene stærke og musikken svær at sidde stille til,” published in Politiken; Nicola Brady (Ireland) for her article, “A dreamy trip back to Boston – from ‘bacon energy’ to browsing in New Hampshire,” published in the Irish Independent; and Lyn Hughes (United Kingdom) for her article, “The Florida Keys of My Imagination,” published in Wanderlust magazine.
During their evaluation of the entries, this year’s panel of judges looked for articles that featured original ideas and exceptional storytelling skills, as well as writing that would inspire readers to travel to the United States.
The IPW Travel Writer Awards competition is held annually. Each of the winning writers receives $1,000 and an award certificate.