2008 NATJA Award Winners Announced
(jump to Pier Communications)
The NATJA awards have been tabulated and the results are in. Congratulations to our winners!

Grand Prize Winners

Grand Prize - Steve Pona
'Edgy Amsterdam' Winnipeg Free Press
Grand Prize - Charlene Rooke
'Scents & the City' enRoute Magazine
Grand Prize - Martin Morrell
'Up the Nile' Travel & Leisure Magazine Sept 2008

1. Destination Travel: Domestic (Newspaper)

1st Place - Tracy Barnett
'A Taste of True Darkness'
San Antonio Express-News
Merit Award - Tom Uhlenbrock
'Visiting the Birthplace of the Blues'
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Merit Award - Jim Loomis
'Ultimate Round Trip'
The Dallas Morning News
Merit Award - Paul Bennett
'On the Road to Spring'
The Vancouver Sun
Merit Award - Jason George
'Kentucky'
Chicago Tribune

2. Destination Travel: Domestic (Magazine)

1st Place - Mark Schatzker; Spafax
'Pedal Pushers'
PureCanada
Merit Award - David McGimpsey
'Big Twang Theory'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Kay Grant
'Scene Stealer'
New Mexico Magazine
Merit Award - Nancy Wigston
'Land of Green Gables'
Skyward

3. Destination Travel: International (Newspaper)

Grand Prize - Steve Pona
'Edgy Amsterdam'
Winnipeg Free Press
Merit Award - Lisa Sonne
'Land of Contrasts'
Ventura County Star
Merit Award - Heather Greenwood Davis
'Rediscovering Nicaragua'
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Jason George
'Stretching a Dollar in Tunisia'
Chicago Tribune
Merit Award - Helen Fallding
'Taming Tassie'
Winnipeg Free Press
Merit Award - Ellen Creager
'Krakow Old, Krakow New'
Detroit Free Press
Merit Award - Nancy Wigston
'Just One Last Kiss'
National Post

4. Destination Travel: International (Magazine)

Grand Prize - Charlene Rooke
'Scents & the City'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Amy Rosen
'This is Tel Aviv'
Enroute Magazine
Merit Award - Marika McElroy Cain
'Pink Dreams & Port Wines'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Joe Yogerst
'The Morphining of Mauritius'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Jeff Greenwald
'Stonewalling History'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - William Kissel
'Africa, As Imagined'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Sara Morrow
'From Cartagena, With Love'
Budget Travel
Merit Award - Noah Richler
'St. Petersburg the Great'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Jarrett Wrisley
'Tour of Beauty'
Angeleno
Merit Award - Bill Thomas
'Georgia On My Six Weight Line'
Outside's Go
Merit Award - Elaine Glusac
'Star Attraction'
Private Clubs

5. Bylined Column (Print)

1st Place - Heather Greenwood Davis
'Act Out Your Own Christmas Story at Ralphies'
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Carol Perehudoff
'On the Gilded Trail of a Reluctant Empress'
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Julia Ross
'What I Picked Up About Trash in Taipei'
The Washington Post
Merit Award - Brad A. Johnson
'Movable Beast'
Angeleno
Merit Award - John Lee
Galway by the Glass
BCBusiness
Merit Award - Heather Greenwood Davis
Doggie Diva Revels in Role
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Keith Bellows
'One on One: Pursuing Our Past in Africa'
National Geographic Traveler

6. Local Lifestyle (i.e. India’s snakecharmers)

1st Place - Jeff Greenwald
'Festive Revival'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Tracy Barnett
'Welcome Home'
San Antonio Express-News
Merit Award - Elaine Glusac
'The Hits Start Here'
Spirit

7. Leisure Activity (i.e. dining out in France)

1st Place - John Lee
'Rail Ale Trail'
US Airways Magazine
Merit Award - Peter Johansen
'A Grand Cover Up'
Ottawa Citizen
Merit Award - Michael Hiller
'Napa of the North'
Avid Golfer
Merit Award - Bobbie Green
'Take an Adventure on the Snake River'
Desert Valley Times
Merit Award - Kristen Bellstrom
'Snowed In'
Smart Money
Merit Award - Shari Caudron
'Uncorked'
Denver's Magazine

8. Series (one or multiple authors)

1st Place - James Conaway
'Walk Into America: Parts 1, 2, 3
National Geographic Traveler
Merit Award - Timothy Taylor
'The Cranky Connaisseur'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Christine Tibbets
'Magical Journey/Exploring Jungle'
The Tifton Gazette
Merit Award - Linda Fasteson
'Kiwi Adventures: Feel the Spirit'
The Sun Chronicles
Merit Award - Linda Fasteson
'Sailing the Seine; Simple Pleasures'
The Sun Chronicle

9. Sports in Conjunction with Travel

1st Place - Jessica Shambora
'In Gold Country'
Travel & Leisure Golf
Merit Award - Josh Sens
'Indochine Swing'
Outside's Go Magazine
Merit Award - Ingrid Hart
'Puerto Escondido, Mexico: Surfing from the Heart'
Pology Magazine
Merit Award - Michael Hiller
'Golf in the Kingdom'
Avid Golfer
Merit Award - King Montgomery
'Chilean Patagonia: Return to the River of Swans'
The Virginia Sportsman
Merit Award - Tim Neville
'Snow Blossom'
Outside's Go Magazine

10. Resorts (descriptions of hotels, inns, B&Bs)

1st Place - Dave G. Houser
'Nature Study: New Zealand'
Men's Folio Magazine
1st Place - Rex Pickett
'Ojai Valley Rhapsody'
Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine
Merit Award - Tom Uhlenbrock
'3 Stops in Jamaica'
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Merit Award - Carol Perehudoff
'Super Swanky Spa has a Concealed Identity'
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Ellen Creager
'Hedonism: The Naked Truth'
Detroit Free Press
Merit Award - Fyllis Hockman
'Nemacolin: The Ultimate in Laid-Back Luxury'
Creators Syndicate

11. Cruises

1st Place - Kimberly Brown-Seely
'Breaking the Ice'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Kristen Bellstrom
'Cruise Control'
Smart Money
Merit Award - Jeff Koehler
'Culinary Sea Sons'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Glen Petrie
'At Ease in the Amazon'
The Dallas Morning News
Merit Award - Andrew Solomon
'Adventures in Antarctica'
Travel & Leisure
Merit Award - Michael DeFreitas
'A Window on Antarctica'
Cruise &Travel Lifestyles Magazine
Merit Award - Michael DeFreitas
'Please Don't Step on the Iguanas'
Cruise & Travel Lifestyles Magazine
Merit Award - Howard Hian
'Gunkholing with Cruise West'
The Military Press
Merit Award - Dave Houser
'Greenland Navigates Sea Change'
The Denver Post
Merit Award - Ron Pradinuk
'Port of Call: The Mediterranean'
Winnipeg Free Press
Merit Award - Submitted by: George Burden
'Cruising with the Family'
Just for Canadian Doctors

12. Personality Profile

1st Place - Amy Rosen
'Someone's in the Kitchen with Daniel'
EnRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Randy Gener
'Swedish Provacateur'
American Theater Magazine
Merit Award - Peter Bronski
'King of the Hills'
Spokane CDA Living
Merit Award - Judy Florman
'Surviving the Shanghai Ghetto'
OCJL
Merit Award - Michael Schuman
'Crash Course on Herbert Hoover'
The Sunday Star Ledger

13. Historical Travel

1st Place - Linda Fasteson
'All About Oxford'
The Sun Chronicle
Merit Award - Barbara Wayman
'Abbey Road on the River'
Home & Away Magazine
Merit Award - Kiran Desai
'Dragon Season'
Travel & Leisure
Merit Award - Christine Tibbetts
'Moonshine & Racing Cars'
The Tifton Gazette
Merit Award - Christine Tibbetts
'Taking the Cure'
The Tifton Gazette
Merit Award - Christine Tibbetts
'Manassas and the Marines'
The Tifton Gazette
Merit Award - Jay Walljasper
'109 Destinations Rated'
National Geographer Traveler

14. Senior Travel

1st Place - Sandra Kennedy
'A Solo Journey'
The Times
1st Place - Kate Pocock
'The French Reconnection'
New Outlook Magazine
Merit Award - Pamela Hobbs
'Touring Japan by Rail'
Good Times Magazine

15. Family Travel

1st Place - Michael DeFreitas
'All Natural Costa Rica'
EnCompass
Merit Award - George Burden
'Cruising with the Family'
Just for Canadian Doctors
Merit Award - Diane Eaton
'Shore up Family Togetherness'
Family Travel
Merit Award - Heather Greenwood Davis
'Touchy-Feely World of Glass Shatters Myth'
Toronto Star
Merit Award - Robert Rivard
'A Roots Journey'
San Antonio Express News
Merit Award - Kate Pocock
'Catching Rays in Grand Cayman'
Small World Magazine

16. Culinary Travel (i.e., travel journalism concerned primarily with food)

1st Place - Justin Paul
'Dinner with Florence'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Jessica Mueller
'Ticket to Truffledom'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Natalie MacLean
'Drinking with the Doctor'
www.NatalieMacLean.com
Merit Award - Michael DeFreitas
'Isle of Bites'
Interval World
Merit Award - Kristen Bellstrom
'Airport Epicure'
Smart Money
Merit Award - David McGimpsey
'The Man Who Ate L.A.'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Christopher Petkanas
'Tour de Provence'
Travel & Leisure Magazine
Merit Award - Chelle Koster Walton
'Mad for Mullusks'
Times of the Islands Magazine

17. Best Travel Article Written For Internet

1st Place - Peter Rose
'Panama: A Voyage of Discovery'
www.sogonow.com
Merit Award - Amy Rosen
'Don't Eat the Low-Lying Berries'
Perceptive Travel
Merit Award - Amy Rosen
'Bloodvein: Redemption on the River'
Perceptive Travel
Merit Award - Ingrid Hart
'Paris, France'
www.DivineDaytripper.com
Merit Award - Nell Raun-Linde
'Overland to Bergen'
Travel World Magazine
Merit Award - Peter Rose
'Italian Culture in a Swiss Canton'
www.sogonow.com
Merit Award - Dave G. Houser
'Exploring Among the Skulls of Mt. Athos'
www.TravelMavens.net

18. Best Travel Broadcast (Radio, TV, Podcast)

1st Place - Darley Newman
'Equitrekking: Costa Rica'
On Disc

20. Best Travel Book

1st Place - Travel & Leisure Magazine
'100 Greatest Trips: Third Edition'
Travel & Leisure Magazine
Merit Award - Darley Newman
'Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback'
Chronicle Books

21. Best Travel Guide

1st Place - Pauline Frommer
'Pauline Frommer's New York City'
Wiley Publishing
Merit Award - Kirsten Whatley
'Preserving Paradise: Opportunities in Volunteering for Hawaii's Environment'
Island Heritage Publishing
Merit Award - Rona Gindin
'Little Black Book of Walt Disney World'
Peter Pauper Press
Merit Award - Elizabeth Borsting
'Best of Northern California'
Open Road Travel Guides

22. General Trade Story

1st Place - Chris McBeath
'Dog Days of Spa'
Pulse
Merit Award - J.L. Erickson
'All-Access Pass'
TravelAge West
Merit Award - Kenneth Shapiro
'It's A Small World After All'
TravelAge West

23(a). Tips and Advice for Consumers

1st Place - Molly Feltner; Jessica Labrencis
'Airline Fees Survival Guide'
Business & Trade Press
Merit Award - Tim Leffel
'Biking in Eastern Europe'
TransitionsAbroad.com
Merit Award - Sarah Pascarella
'Avoid Fees & Hassles with a Well-Packed Bag'
SmarterTravel.com

23(b). Tips and Advice for Industry

1st Place - Dori Saltzman
'The Advantages of Developing Your Niche Market'
Travel Trade

24(a). Overall Excellence for a Publication

1st Place - Keith Bellows
'Jan/Feb 2008'
National Geographic Traveler
Merit Award - Dominique Ritter
'Pure Canada: March 2008'
PureCanada
Merit Award - Douglas Peebles
'Cruise Hawaii'
NCL

24(b). Overall Excellence for a Single Submission (NEW CATEGORY)

Grand Prize - Martin Morrell
'Up the Nile'
Travel & Leisure Magazine Sept 2008
Merit Award - Michael DeFreitas
'Cook Islands Kia Orana'
Diver Magazine
Merit Award - Glen Petrie
'At Ease in the Amazon'
The Dallas Morning News
Merit Award - Gail Mooney
'Great Pyramids'
Focus
Merit Award - Douglas Peebles
'Coastal Living'
Coastal Living
Merit Award - Stuart Dee
'Flying Down to Rio'
Skyward
Merit Award - John Montgomery
'Bhutan Dzong: Young Buddhist Monks Carry Rice and Tea'
Foreign Travel Club Magazine, SF
Merit Award - Gail Mooney
'View from a Speeding Train'
Adirondack-Plantazia
Merit Award - John Montgomery
'Indian Holy Man'
Foreign Travel Club Magazine, SF

25. Best Cover Photo

1st Place - Kevin J. Miyazaki
'Virtuoso Life Jan/Feb 2008 Cover'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Annie Griffiths Belt
'October 2008 National Geographic Traveler'
National Geographic Traveler
Merit Award - Peter Rose
'Embarra Flute Player'
Sogonow.com
Merit Award - Kevin J. Miyazaki
'Virtuoso Life Sept/Oct 2008 Cover'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Reanna Evoy
'enRoute: November 2008'
enRoute Magazine
Merit Award - Janet Wilson
'Waterfall, South Lake, Eastern Sierra, CA'
RV Journal
Merit Award - Ron Pradinuk
'Back to Mazatlan'
Winnipeg Free Press

26. Landscape, Sunset, Mountain or Ocean View

1st Place - Michael DeFreitas
'A Window on Antarctica'
Cruise & Travel Lifestyles Magazine
Merit Award - Peter Rose
'Mountains near Locarno, Switzerland'
Sogonow.com
Merit Award - Douglas Peebles
'Photographer'
Photographer
Merit Award - Julian Wainwright; Amanda Ross/Spafax
'You've Come a Long Way, Baby'
HomeSpa Magazine, November 2007
Merit Award - Michael DeFreitas
'South Pacific Sojourn'
Voyager Magazine
Merit Award - Lorne Bridgman
'Sao Paulo'
enRoute Magazine Dec 2008
Merit Award - Stuart Dee
'Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio, at Sunset'
Skyward

27. Architecture and/or Facility

1st Place - Douglas Peebles
'Honolulu International Airport Calendar'
Calendar
Merit Award - Robert Jerome
'Berlin: Then and Now'
The Rail Monthly

28. Press Release

1st Place - Cameron Andrews
'Pacific Park Ferris Wheel Press Release'
Santa Monica Conventions and Visitor's Bureau

29. Brochure, Program, Books, or Newsletter

1st Place - Ron Pradinuk
'Winnipeg Convention Centre Marketing Brochure'
Winnipeg Free Press

30. Best Overall Press Kit

1st Place - Jennifer Losch
'Cherokee Travel Press Kit 2008'
The Goss Agency

31. Best CVB/Tourist Bureau Web Site

1st Place - Jennifer Bryant
'www.visitjacksonville.com'
Jacksonville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Merit Award - Kim Baker
'www.santamonica.com
Santa Monica Conventions and Visitor's Bureau
Merit Award - JoNell Modys
'www.paradisecoast.com'
Naples, Marco Islands, Everglades CVB

32. Best Newspaper Travel Section

1st Place - Jill Schensul
'The Record'
The Record

33. Best Travel Magazine

1st Place - Keith Bellows
'November/December 2008 National Geographic Traveler'
National Geographic Traveler
Merit Award - Elaine G. Srnka
'The Island Issue: March/April 2008'
Virtuoso Life
Merit Award - Ilana Weitzman
'enRoute October 2008'
Spafax
Merit Award - Myrna George
'South County Vacation Planner'
South County Style
Merit Award - Keith Bellows
'Sept 2008: National Geographic Traveler'
National Geographic Traveler
Merit Award - Dominique Ritter
'PureCanada: March 2008'
PureCanada
Merit Award - Kent Black
'Outside's Go Magazine: Dec 2008'
Outside's Go Magazine

34. Best Online Travel Magazine

1st Place - Sarah Pascarella
'www.smartertravel.com'
SmarterTravel.com

35. Best Domestic Newspaper Article

1st Place - Sarah Kissko Hersh
'The Dallas Morning News Takes a Bite out of Sandwich'
The Dallas Morning News

36. Best Domestic Magazine Article

1st Place - M.G. Lord
'L.A. Confident'
Travel & Leisure Magazine
Merit Award - Lissa Poirot
'Beaches of South Walton: Points North'
Points NorthTracy

38. Best International Magazine Article

1st Place - Tim Neville
'A Steppe in the Right Direction'
Outside's Go Magazine
1st Place - Guy Trebay
'The Temple Cities'
Travel & Leisure Magazine