Society of American Travel Writers Foundation
Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
Awards for Work Published in 2008-2009
Category 6: Newspaper Article on Foreign Travel
Gold: Bill Fink, “Magic Realism, Realized,” San Francisco Chronicle
“This is an excellent journey into a tourist’s taste of real life in Colombia. With humor and sometimes parody, Bill Fink magically transforms the cocaine cartel image of Colombia into an Epcot-safe getaway. The fact that he pulls this off while weaving history and economics is a credit to his mature writing talent. It’s a golden piece that encourages the reader to give this south-of-the-border spot a new look. Suddenly Colombia doesn’t seem so foreign — and Fink has earned the gold.”
Faculty members of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, coordinated by Monica Hill, judged the competition. There were 1,191 entries. For questions, contact: Mary Lu Abbott, SATW Foundation administrator, 713-973-9985, or awards@satwf.com. The results and comments also may be viewed online at the Foundation Web site, www.satwfoundation.org.