The Lowell Thomas awards, recognized as the most prestigious in travel journalism, were announced in Wenzhou, China, at the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the premier professional organization of travel journalists and communicators.

The competition, for work from spring 2015 to spring 2016, drew 1,307 entries. This year, the SATW Foundation is giving 80 awards in 24 categories and nearly $20,000 in prize money to journalists in recognition of outstanding travel journalism.

“Judges were impressed by the deep, nuanced reporting they encountered, combined with the creative approaches to storytelling,” said John Fennell, University of Missouri associate professor, who holds the Meredith Chair in Service Journalism and coordinated the judging with Prof. Jennifer Rowe. “Evaluating and then ranking work in a journalism competition can be difficult, but when the entries display such excellence, judging can be pure pleasure.”

Working for National Geographic Traveler's blog with his Sony RX10 II and α7R II, Sony Artisan Bob Krist, competing against large organizations with big crews and budgets alike, took home the Silver Medal between the CBS Morning crew's Gold and Bronze Medals.