Gold, Silver and Bronze!

OAKLAND, CA (September 15, 2004) –For the first time in its thirty-year history, Lonely Planet won three awards in three separate categories in the distinguished Society of American Travel Writers Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The awards were announced September 7^th in St. Moritz, Switzerland at the 49^th annual convention of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the pre-eminent professional organization of travel journalists and communicators.

LonelyPlanet.com (Tamar Lowell and team) took Gold in the Internet Publication/Web Site category; Lonely Planet USA (Jeff Campbell, et al) was awarded Silver in the Guidebook category; and The Kindness of Strangers (edited by Don George) won Bronze in the Travel Book category.

According to the judging committee, LonelyPlanet.com is “hard to beat for getting exhaustive travel information. It’s chock-full of all sorts – good maps, travel advice, message boards, up-to-date health and travel information.”

“It's such an honor to win this award, which both validates what we have worked so hard to achieve, and inspires us to continually improve our travelers' experience,” noted Tamar Lowell, global online products manager. “Our goal is to provide unique and compelling content, functionality and products that inspire our travelers and enable them to connect with the world.” 

Jeff Campbell, lead author of Lonely Planet USA speaking on behalf of the twelve-person author team, said, 'The award is a tremendous validation for our whole USA team, who really knocked themselves out not just revising but re-envisioning the entire book for this third edition. Even with all the hard work, you never expect this sort of recognition. It's immensely gratifying.'

The judges concurred with the challenge of this project, writing, “The authors did the impossible by fitting the entire country into one book.”

The judging committee also praised the result of the combined efforts of The Kindness of Strangers authors, writing, “This book’s charm emerges from the way its writers describe the improbable events and the uncertain moments that bring together the destinies of new friends in new places.”

Don George, the book’s editor, commented, “The message that infuses The Kindness of Strangers – that the world is essentially a friendly place, that people everywhere do care about their fellow humans, and that travel can teach us these lessons in unexpected ways – seems more fundamentally important now than ever. I'm honored and exhilarated that the SATW judges were moved by that message, and by the quality of the stories that delivered it.'

This year celebrates the 20^th Annual Lowell Thomas Journalism Competition sponsored by the SATW Foundation. Recognized as the most prestigious honors in the field of travel journalism, the competition for work in 2003-04 drew 1,330 entries. Faculty at the University of Missouri School of Journalism judged the competition.

For more information about Lonely Planet visit our website at www.lonelyplanet.com.