2019 SATW Canadian Chapter Awards
The judges have spoken. We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 3rd annual SATW Canadian Chapter Awards recognizing the best published writing and photography by Canadian members in 2018. We gratefully recognize the generous support of Switzerland Tourism.
The winners will receive cash prizes by snail mail and for those attending the chapter meeting in Riviera Nayarit, the prize will be presented in person.
BEST CANADIAN TRAVEL STORY
Gold: “Where the wild things Are” by Liz Campbell in Foodservice and Hospitality
Judge’s comment: “An obvious standout among all these entries. Well-written, good information (we do need some prices however …), good quotes and interviews which just add to the ‘colour’ of the article. A solid interesting piece — we know the writer was there but it is not about them; the focus is on the topic and local characters. Plus excellent sidebar information for the reader. This article would attract the reader to the area.”
Silver: “Vancouver Island wineries sparkle” by Adrian Brijbassi in Vacay.ca
Judge’s comment: “Good overview of the wineries of Vancouver Island; great background and provides information most readers would never know. Writer shows a good knowledge of the wineries and provides great colour with her interviews of local residents. Also, great sidebar information for the reader. Including prices.”
Link: http://vacay.ca/2018/07/vancouver-island-wineries-sparkle/
Bronze: “Driving the Golden Circle, loaded for bear” by Glen Petrie in The Province
Judge’s comment: “Good information for any traveller thinking of taking this northern drive. The writer makes this northern, desolate area feel accessible to the reader with a light breezy style and good travel information. Reader has an excellent idea of what to expect and flora and fauna they will experience along the way.”
Link: https://theprovince.com/travel/local-travel/driving-the-golden-circle-loaded-for-bear
BEST INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL STORY
Gold: “My Mandela Journey” by Glen Petrie in the Vancouver Sun
Judge’s comment: “Seeing first-hand the places I’d read about in Long Walk To Freedom brought the story alive for me, and made me feel closer to the man.” That’s the author of `My Mandela Journey’ and their research — including referencing Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, tapping into a new smartphone app and touring a number of significant Mandela sites — does the same for their readers. This smartly organized and cleanly written piece goes beyond a standard South Africa travel story to inform and enlighten anyone wanting to learn more about the Mandela experience.
Link: https://theprovince.com/travel/international-travel/my-mandela-journey
Silver: “Bounty Of The Burren” by Serena Renner in Virgin Australia’s Voyeur
Judge’s comment: “This piece is so much more than `what I saw’ and ‘what I did’ on a trip to Ireland. The author visits the Burren, where `Ireland turns to stone,’ and introduces readers to a variety of locals who lend life and authenticity to this thoroughly researched, well-written and colourful exploration of the region’s geology, mythology and archeology — without forgetting the local food and drink.”
Link: http://serenarenner.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bounty-of-the-Burren-Voyeur-Serena-Renner.pdf
Bronze: “Mashpi Lodge Review — An Experience In The Jungle” by Carol Perehudoff in WanderingCarol.com
Judge’s comment: “From the first two words — `Puma tracks’ — the vivid storytelling transports readers to a cloud forest in the Ecuadorean jungle with `the mist and the mountains, the tangle of strangler figs, iron palms and magnolias.’ Mashpi Lodge is located in the Mashpi Reserve, a remote and important bio-region that is brought to life with the author’s voice and personality. The resort is a luxurious destination that offers an all-inclusive experience and so does the author, complementing the colourful and well-organized story with a comprehensive guide comprising tips about packing, prices, meals, activities and more.”
Link: https://wanderingcarol.com/mashpi-lodge-review-ecuador/
BEST TRAVEL SERVICE STORY
Gold: “Reverse Culture Shock” by Carol Perehudoff in WanderingCarol.com
Judge’s comment: “This is the first time I have seen an article about this. (I’ve compared notes of this with fellow travelers but never seen it in print). Points for Originality. Nicely-written piece, good style and flow, about a topic few think about. Writer discusses symptoms then shows some personal examples (reader realizes writer is an expert on the topic) then gets out of the personal with good tips on how to fight this travel depression. Well-written and important for any traveler.”
Link: https://wanderingcarol.com/reverse-culture-shock/
Silver: “Road-tripping to the Arctic” by Carol Patterson in Canadian Geographic Travel
Judge’s comment: “A good `How To’ especially for the novice traveller who requires good, detailed information before hitting the road. This gives the reader a good feel for what they need to get, prepare for, and what to expect when they are driving into the Arctic. (I would like to see some prices for rentals, restaurants, accommodation, etc.).”
Link: https://cangeotravel.ca/article/road-tripping-to-the-arctic-ocean/
Bronze: “6 tips to move you through an airport quickly” by Emma Yardley in CBC.ca
Judge’s comment: “Everyone can always use basic tips on surviving any journey through an airport. (This is one of the reasons that travel writers quit the business — they have wasted too much of their life in far too many airports.) A seasoned traveller would be aware of these but this is essential information for the airport novice. Well-written, gets right to the topic, doesn’t deviate into cutesy comments or aside.”
Links: https://www.cbc.ca/hellogoodbye/blog/6-tips-get-through-airport-quickly
BEST PEOPLE PHOTO
Gold: “Young Mennonite woman in bake shop” by Gary Crallé from “In Ontario’s Perth County, fall is bliss” in Vacay.ca
Judge’s comment: “The placement of all the elements of the image, the stars, blackboard with the little straw hat and bear, the rows of `Fry Pies’ and even the uneven cutout type at the front of the table make this picture a little bit like a piece of music. It’s got a rhythm to it, even catching the young lady placing the fry pie in the space at the front of the table. It’s also got a wonderful quality of light to it, very bright, pure and clean, reminiscent of the Dutch renaissance painting.”
Link: http://vacay.ca/2018/10/in-ontarios-perth-county-fall-is-bliss/
Silver: “Boy with watermelons” by Stuart Dee in The Philippines Rediscovered II
Judge’s comment: “There’s a wonderful use of graphic and colour composition here, with the bright red segments of watermelon cascading down the linear bamboo table to bring your eye to a cheeky little face, staring directly at the viewer, holding a red segment contrasted with the jet-black hair. The random repetition of the semicircles of red and green punctuated with black makes a very strong image.”
Link: http://www.studeeo.com/pr2book
Bronze: “Edmonton” by Liz Campbell in “Edmonton — Beyond the Ordinary” in Empty Nest
Judge’s comment: “This picture brings back memories of a Canada that one doesn’t see that often anymore. I just love the juxtaposition of the subjects, in traditional farm clothing, speaking to each other in front of a period house, grain elevator and workhorses with the wooden cart. Top marks for the propping, location scouting and wardrobe, (if there was any).”
Link: Online link not available
BEST PLACES/SCENERY PHOTO
Gold: “Kayaks” by Adrian Brijbassi from “Ocean House debuts in Haida Gwaii” in Vacay.ca
Judge’s comment: “This is an image that definitely `makes you want to go to this place,’ at this point in time. The composition is wonderful. The two kayaks contrast wonderfully with the green grass, beckoning to start the journey to the distant, mist shrouded verdant mountains in the distance. One can feel the atmosphere of the place.”
Link: http://vacay.ca/2018/06/ocean-house-debuts-in-haida-gwaii/
Silver: “Porthole” by William Tang from “1 Day to Fall in Love With St. John’s, Newfoundland With The Ford EcoSport” in GoingAwesomePlaces.com
Judge’s comment: “This picture reminds me of the circular paintings by Tom Forrestal. That genre was sometimes called the `magic Maritimes’ and this image certainly has a magical quality to it. It’s as if one is peering into a mystical land. Technically it’s a bit tricky to execute, given the huge dynamic range, but this one is done very well.”
Bronze: “Hamburg” by William Tang from “Hamburg: 1 Day Itinerary — What To See, Do, And Eat” in GoingAwesomePlaces.com
Judge’s comment: “It’s an amazing image, with amazing colour, a very cool sky and well composed, from an interesting vantage point. One gets the sense of a warm summer evening with people having a great time. The image has one niggly distraction. The `specular highlights’ (where the brightest brights are) have either a black, red or green spot in the very centre of them throughout the image, which I find distracts from the overall feel of what is really a spectacular shot. If they’d have been white, or even a faint hue, one would never have noticed.”
Link: https://goingawesomeplaces.com/one-day-in-hamburg-what-to-see-do-eat-stay/
THANK YOU TO OUR THREE JUDGES
Tim Doyle (International stories)
Tim Doyle is co-ordinator of journalism programs at Centennial College, including the school’s innovative postgraduate program in Contemporary Journalism that was introduced in 2018. Tim worked for more than 20 years in print journalism before moving to digital in 1999 as founding executive producer of hockey website Faceoff.com. Later, with Canwest and Postmedia, he held a number of senior roles including founding editor-in-chief of the canada.com network and vice president and editor-in-chief new media. Tim joined the faculty at Centennial in 2014 and teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs and in the school’s joint program with the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Steve Veale (Canadian and service stories)
Steve Veale is a 25-year veteran of SATW (Canadian Chapter). He initially joined as an Associate (Promotion Officer/Ontario Ministry of Tourism) and switched to Active status when he became a freelance writer. He spent years escorting writers around the province and more years being escorting around numerous global destinations writing for newspaper, magazines, various guidebooks and web-based travel. Steve also taught “Travel Writing” for a dozen years at Toronto’s George Brown College — and has therefore marked hundreds (and hundreds!) of articles over the years. He is currently director for two annual Toronto film festivals, the
“T.O. indie” in September and the “T.O. Short” film festivals.
Stephen Jackson (Photography)
Stephen Jackson has devoted his life in the pursuit of the perfect picture. In various occupations, he has spent decades immersing himself in both the art and the technique of photography. His involvement in the pre-press and printing industry was an invaluable asset for pursuing commercial photography that involved catering to advertising agencies, photographing everything from aircraft, pharmaceuticals, annual reports and portraits. His work has been reviewed in Adweek and Graphis, and he has received accolades and awards from Marketing Magazine, the Advertising & Design Club of Canada. Steve taught photography part-time for five years at Seneca College. He is now semi-retired, living in Burlington, still dabbling in photography as a content creator for stock photo agencies. Photography is in his veins and his camera is never far away.
Thank you to everyone who took part!
Jennifer Bain, Awards Chair