David got started on his research early…. Photo courtesy of David Page.

The annual Society of American Travel Writers convention was held last week in Guadalajara, Mexico. Though he was chopping wood in chilly northern California, Matador’s contributing editor David Page received some good news from south of the border.

Each year for the past 25 years, the Society of American Travel Writers has sponsored a travel journalism contest that has become the premier competition in this field. The Lowell Thomas Awards, named for a radio and print journalist who made his media reputation as a globe-trotting correspondent, are considered to be travel writing’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.

And Matador’s own David Page earned one this year.

The Lowell Thomas Awards are given in 25 different categories; David took the bronze in the Guidebook category for his Great Destinations: Yosemite & the Southern Sierra Nevada. Explaining why they selected David’s book for an award, the judges wrote:

“David T. Page presents a thorough, entertaining guide to the region. It contains an unusually detailed section on the natural history of the area, sure to appeal to Page’s outdoor-minded readers. It’s a joy to read.”

The Lowell Thomas Award isn’t the first honor David has received for this guidebook; it also won the distinction of the Best Guidebook of 2008 from the Outdoor Writers’ Association of California.

If you’d like to read David’s book for yourself, here it is:

And be sure to check out the articles David has published on Matador, including:

How to Travel to Socotra Island, Yemen

Powderquest Patagonia: Trip Report from Devin McDonell

10 Fundamentals When Packing for a Fun Family Ski Trip

Adventures in Weaning: Cold Turkey in the Great American Desert

Community Connection:

Would you like to see your name on the list of Lowell Thomas Award winners? Join Matador U’s travel writing school to learn how to author guidebooks…and much more.

About The Author

Julie Schwietert

Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator currently in New York, formerly of Mexico City and San Juan. She is Matador's managing editor and is the lead faculty member of MatadorU's travel writing program.

  • Christine

    Awesome, David! Congrats to receiving a well-deserved award.

  • http://musictravelwrite.wordpress.com Michelle

    Amazing! Congrats, David!!

  • http://lolaakinmade.com Lola

    Congratulations David! Matador peeps representing.

  • http://ojocaliente.com Bill Page

    Yes! Congrats, David! But, have you done your normal fact checking on Lowell Thomas? He had a home in Poughkeepsie, NY I spent an hour or two in before or about the time of the great man’s passing. Your great grandmother Mary Kerr Page Gwinn had a home in the area. His fireplace (think huge) caught my eye. It was embedded with labeled artifacts from his travels that included things like a piece of the Pyramids, potsherds from Timbuctou, and various other problems. Of course I had only just stopped collecting Anasazi potsherds myself so it really wasn’t hard to put his collection in the social context of his era. Just thought you oughtta know . . .

  • http://ojocaliente.com Bill Page

    OMG, that Caddie in the picture is identical to the one we had in Enid, Oklahoma in 1969. Whose is it? Or, where was it taken? Beautiful anachronism!

  • http://ojocaliente.com Bill Page

    And we got it free from Mary Kerr Page Gwinn! That is full circle!

  • http://www.sierrasurvey.com David Page

    Uh, I’m guessing it is in fact one and the same Caddie, padre. As that is in fact me on one of my very early roadtrips–probably (gulp) in 1969, already in flight, I guess, from Enid, Oklahoma! The pic came from an old album Priscilla Adams Small passed along a couple of years ago.

  • James Jorgensen

    Congrats Dave!

    JJ

  • Adri

    Congratulation David!

  • Pingback: Matador wins Society of American Travel Writers ‘Lowell Thomas’ award

 

Big-time recognition for those of us working in travel journalism.

Supporting Our Community →

Today Matador officially launches BETA, the essential print mag for those committed to...

Supporting Our Community →

Today, we'd like to share with you a few travel stories from our very own Matadorians.

Supporting Our Community →

As part of TBEX 2010's community keynote address, dozens of blog posts were submitted by...