The Australian Society of Travel Writers has announced the finalists of the ASTW Awards for Excellence 2022.
Our annual awards recognise excellence across travel writing, photography, blogging, broadcasting and photography. Each of the 20 categories was judged by three judges drawn from a wide panel of journalists, travel writers, publishers, photographers, video production and other industry professionals from Australia USA, the UK, NZ, Canada and Singapore.
The winners will be announced at the ASTW Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner on Saturday 5 November 2022. The event will bring together more than 100 guests from the travel media community and will also see the announcement of the winners of the ASTW Awards for Excellence 2022.
Commenting on the ASTW Awards for Excellence 2022 finalists, ASTW president Caroline Gladstone said: “It’s so heartening to see so many entries in this year’s Awards for Excellence, considering the problems of the past two years. We have had a wealth of Australian travel stories among the different categories, be they stories about road trips, family and food experiences and hotel stays and even though international travel was curtailed our canny members have dug deep into their notebooks and past experiences to bring their international travels to life. All those great tales, photographs, videos and PR campaigns have helped to put travel back on the map. I congratulate all the entrants and look forward to the big night.”
The finalists in the ASTW Awards for Excellence 2022 are:
ASTW Awards for Excellence 2022 – Finalists – listed in alpha order
ASTW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR
John Borthwick – Three for the road
- Captivated by Cocos (Weekend Australian)
- Take it to the bridge (Weekend Australian)
- Welcome to barradise (Weekend Australian)
Anabel Dean – Australian Made
- Four winds away (Australian Country)
- Buried treasure (Australian Country)
- Into the wild (Australian Country)
Sarah Reid – Diving into sustainable tourism
- We need to talk about the future of Antarctic tourism (Adventure.com)
- Does the future of scuba diving lie outside the oceans? (Adventure.com)
- An extraordinary corner of the Great Barrier Reef (BBC Travel)
ASTW PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Edwina Hart – Faraway Lands
- Quechua weaver – Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (delicious magazine)
- World of ice (International Traveller)
- Cat in Cappadocia (delicious magazine)
Justin Meneguzzi – A thawing Arctic
- The polar bear’s gaze (Signature Luxury Travel & Style)
- Lovers on the ice (Signature Luxury Travel & Style)
- Quiet contemplation (Signature Luxury Travel & Style)
Paul Pichugin – Western Australia
- Midnight hut (Surfing World)
- Diving Lena (Tourism WA Image Library)
- Bandilngan / Windjana Gorge (Australia’s North West Image Library)
TRAVEL COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR
Claire Haigh and Naomi Hammond (Accor Communication Team) – How hotels are redefining exceptional dining experiences
Polly Simmons (Linkd Tourism for Oklahoma Tourism) – Oklahoma, OK!
Polly Simmons and Chris Ingram (Linkd Tourism / IGG Destination marketing for Memphis Tourism) – ELVIS: See the film, live the legacy in Memphis
BEST AUSTRALIAN STORY UNDER 1000 WORDS
Catherine Best – What lies beneath (Escape magazine)
Roslyn Jolly – Meanders in Maryborough (Mindful Puzzles)
Roslyn Jolly – Going beyond the icon (Australian Geographic Travel)
BEST AUSTRALIAN STORY OVER 1000 WORDS
John Borthwick – Welcome to barradise (Weekend Australian)
Anabel Dean – Buried treasure (Australian Country)
Steven Madgwick – Awakenings from a wild river (Australian Traveller)
BEST SUSTAINABLE TOURISM STORY
Andrew Bain – The rebirth of Tasmanian indigenous culture (BBC Travel)
Susan Elliott – Rock star (Signature Luxury Travel & Style)
Caro Ryan – Walking on Country (Wild Magazine)
BEST FAMILY TRAVEL STORY
Nadine Cresswell-Myatt – Best experiences in Moab (TravelAwaits.com)
Aleney de Winter – Fantasy island (Holidays With Kids)
Melissa Delaware-Kiely – A family guide to the Scenic Rim (Queensland.com)
BEST FOOD / BEVERAGE TRAVEL STORY
Flip Byrnes – When punk rock meets fine dining (Hurtigruten magazine)
Carrie Hutchinson – Is this Australia’s next great dining city (Departures)
Jessica Lockhart – Where’s the beef (The Toronto Star)
BEST INSTAGRAM TRAVEL PHOTO
Lynn Gail – Soul of the Earth
Paul Pichugin – Secret gorge
Kate Webster – Reflection
BEST INTERNATIONAL STORY UNDER 1,000 WORDS
Ivy Carruth – US travel: Must-sees for music fans in Memphis, Tennessee (New Zealand Herald)
Justin Meneguzzi – A thawing wilderness (Signature Luxury Travel & Style)
Kerry van der Jagt – Budapest a food tour (Traveller)
BEST INTERNATIONAL STORY OVER 1,000 WORDS
Edwina Hart – Antarctica dreaming (International Traveller)
Marian McGuinness – Venice by vaporetto (New Zealand Herald)
Sarah Reid – The edge of the world (Qantas magazine)
BEST TRADE AND TOURISM NEWS STORY
Chris Chamberlin – Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka (Point Hacks)
Susan Gough-Henly – The Australian exit checklist (The Guardian)
Sue Wallace – Carpe Diem (Mindfood)
BEST TRAVEL BLOG POST
Aleney de Winter – Conservation quest at Aquila (BoyEatsWorld)
Jessica Palmer – The amazing K’gari (FamilyHolidayDestinations)
Caro Ryan – How to leave no trace (Lotsafreshair)
BEST NATURE / WILDLIFE STORY
Alexis Buxton-Collins – Will of the wild (Australian Traveller)
Alexis Buxton-Collins – Australia’s answer to the Galapagos (Qantas magazine)
Justin Meneguzzi – Diving with great white sharks (The Independent)
BEST IMMERSIVE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE STORY
Steven Madgwick – Awakenings from a wild river (Australian Traveller)
Marian McGuinness – Venice by vaporetto (New Zealand Herald)
Kerry van der Jagt – Letters be known (Adventure.com)
BEST AUSSIE ROAD TRIP STORY
Steven Madgwick – Free wheeling (Traveller)
Marian McGuinness – Struck by lightning (Open Road)
Kerry van der Jagt – The Yorke Peninsula (Traveller)
BEST ACCOMMODATION STORY
John Borthwick – Rumbles in the jungle (Weekend Australian)
Shirley Sinclair – Love letter to a heavenly river beauty (Sunshine Coast News)
Steven Madgwick – Unique outback stays – Trilby Station (Australian Traveller)
BEST TRAVEL PHOTO
Jeremy Drake – The land of smiles
Lynn Gail – The tea man
Lynn Gail – Wisdom
BEST TRAVEL VIDEO
Jeremy Drake – Haves & have yachts – Hobart Yacht Charter (Grin Creative)
Caro Ryan – Lord Howe Island’s best guided hike (Lotsafreshair)
Caro Ryan – The Overland Track (Lotsafreshair)
BEST DESTINATION GUIDE
Marie Barbieri – The hot heart of Rotorua (New Zealand Herald)
Katie Dundas – Tasmania – The Australian island that’s 40% wilderness (Scott’s Cheap Flights)
Rachel Lees – Rising from the ashes – exploring Tasmania (The Times)
The ASTW would like to congratulate their finalists and look forward to an exciting evening celebrating the outstanding achievement of our members on Saturday 5th November.
