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Awards 2009 - Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards

Auckland writer and photographer scoop the top prizes at the Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards.

Pam Wade, freelance writer, won the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award and Auckland photographer Amos Chapple took the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Award, presented last night [Tuesday 31 March] at a glittering Indian-themed gala dinner at The Heritage Auckland’s Grand Tearoom.

One of New Zealand’s funniest women, star of television, radio, print and the stage, comedian Michele A’Court hosted the awards. The Cathay Pacific Travel Media and Whitcoulls Travel Book awards are organised by Travcom (New Zealand Travel Communicators) to celebrate excellence in travel writing and photography.

Wade, who took top spot with her story “Glasgow”, has been widely published throughout New Zealand in all major daily and some provincial newspapers. Her stories have also often featured in magazines such as Destinations, Inspire, Next, NZ Listener, New Idea, Her, AA Directions and Coastlines and Journeys. She has written columns, features, book and car reviews, but travel is her passion: the more hands-on, the better, whether that involves coming eye-to-eye with a bear in the woods or sleeping in a haunted Scottish castle.

Based in Hong Kong, the writing chief judge, Kate Whitehead is editor of Discovery magazine, the inflight magazine for Cathay Pacific. Whitehead said “I enjoyed reading through all the articles. I especially enjoyed the Glasgow piece – the writing is fluid, entertaining and informative and funny, too. Within a fairly short space – just two magazine pages – the writer paints a vivid portrait of the city. We see the people; we understand something of the culture and the landscape. Excellent writing. Which explains why I think this person deserves the top title.“ Kate Whitehead judged all travel writing categories excluding the New Travel Writer of the Year award, which was judged by Robyn Langwell, well known, award-winning journalist and founding editor of North & South magazine.

Auckland-based photographer Amos Chapple started his career in newspapers. While working as a press photographer at the New Zealand Herald he was named Junior Photographer of the Year in 2003 as well as Environment Photographer of the Year in 2006 at the Qantas Media Awards. Since 2006 he has worked full-time for the Our Place Publishing project, photographing UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world. He has photographed in more than 35 counties including Uzbekistan, Belarus, PNG and Jordan. He has a particular love for Russia and the former Soviet Union states.

Chapple’s portfolio of images taken from as far afield as Indonesia to India, Kare Kare beach to Krakow, impressed the panel of three photography judges – Darryl Torckler, award-winning marine photographer, Emma Bass, award-winning portrait and editorial photographer, and Tim Steele, Managing Editor of Photographers Mail, “The standard was very high. The winners have produced photos of exceptional quality and a great variety of subjects and locations.”

Both Wade and Chapple win trips for two to India, travelling with Cathay Pacific, $500 travel expenses, plus a sightseeing and accommodation package courtesy of Adventure World.

Well-known Lyttelton author and humorist Joe Bennett scooped the grand prize at the seventh annual Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award for Where Underpants Come From (Harper Collins). Bennett picked up $2,000 cash plus $500 in book vouchers from Whitcoulls. Dunedin writer Neville Peat received the runner-up prize of $500 in Whitcoulls vouchers for High Country Lark – an Invitation to Paradise (Longacre Press). Highly Commended certificates went to first-time author Hamish Beaton for Under the Osakan Sun (Awa Press) and Roads Less Travelled, Twenty Years of Exploration with New Zealand Geographic by NZ Geographic's ex-editor Kennedy Warne (Penguin NZ Ltd).

Plus this year, for the first time, readers were asked to vote on-line for their favourite book in the Readers' Choice Award - a completely separate award from the Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award. Under the Osakan Sun by Hamish Beaton was the people's favourite. Beaton took away $500 in Whitcoulls vouchers. A lucky randomly chosen voter won $100 in Whitcoulls vouchers.

The Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award was judged by Karen Goa, an award-winning freelance travel writer and a previous finalist in the Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book Awards, and Owen Scott, an author, journalist and editor. ‘An Island Calling’, the film based on his book ‘Deep Beyond the Reef’, is a multiaward winner. The judges enjoyed reading the twelve diverse entries immensely and commented that the impressively high standard this year made for a tightly contested shortlist.

Joe Bennett’s highly original Where Underpants Come From - a quest to track a five-pack of undies from Chinese cotton fields to New Zealand's menswear shelves - "was a unanimous winner," said chief judge Karen Goa. "Under Bennett's deft pen this is a tightly written, hilarious and compelling story with unexpected emotional depth for a tale about underpants. With this book Joe Bennett, who was a previous runner-up for these awards, proves he’s at the top of his craft."

The judges also commented that runner up, ‘High Country Lark: An Invitation to Paradise’ by Neville Peat, "is a sweet, slow seduction by a writer of great talent and even greater humility. This complex, mature book reveals a New Zealand many of us might have forgotten, or never knew existed."

Full list of awards:

Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award Winner: Pam Wade

Small Luxury Hotels of the World Award for the Best Magazine Travel Story

Winner: Fiona Smith
For “Life at the Top”
Published in Cuisine Magazine in January 2008

Runners Up:

David Burton
For “Untamed Heartland”
Published in Cuisine Magazine, March 2008 and

Dennis Knill
For “Five Star or Bust”
Published in BMW Magazine, January 2008

Navigate Oceania Award for the Best Newspaper Travel Article

Winner: Graham Reid
For “The Ghosts of Old Sacramento”
Published in the NZ Herald, March 2008

Runner Up:

Mike Cartlidge
For “Relics of a Great Civilisation”
Published in the Dominion Post, February 2008 and

Mike Cartlidge
For “The Unpackaged Costa”
Published in the Waikato Times, May 2008

Heritage Hotels Award for The Best Travel Article Written About New Zealand

Winner: Joanna Hunkin
For “Playing Cowgirl”
Published in the NZ Herald, November 2008

Runners Up:

Paul Rush
For “The Spirit of the Forest”
Published in the Wanganui Chronicle, February 2008

Katherine Robinson
For “Over the Hill”
Published in the Dominion Post, September 2008

Interislander Award for the Best Article About a Journey

Winner: Sharon Stephenson
For “The Ride of Her Life”
Published in Next Magazine in September 2008

Runners Up:

Alan Perrott
For “On The Map”
Published in the NZ Herald Canvas Magazine, September 2008 and

Robin Charteris
For “Albania, a Place Apart No Longer”
Published in the Otago Daily Times, April 2008

Visit Britain and Tourism Ireland Award for the Best Travel Article Written About Britain and/or Ireland

Winner: Pam Wade
For “Glasgow"
Published in Her Magazine, February 2008

Runner Up:

Michael Hooper
For “Tragedy and Travesty”
Published in Destinations Magazine, December 2008

Runner Up:

Pam Wade
For “Haunted by Edinburgh's Past”
Published in the NZ Herald, April 2008

AA Directions Magazine Best New Travel Writer of the Year Award

Winner: Louise Jennings
For “Undercurrent” and "Jack of You"

Runners Up:

Bill Nelson
For “The Quiet Dane - Vietnam to Wellington in 366 days” and

Jill McCracken
For “A Not-So-Ordinary Sunday Drive”

Highly Commended:

Maria Alomajan
For “Elephant Amore”

Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award

Winner: Joe Bennett
For "Where Underpants Come From" published by Harper Collins NZ, 2008

Runner Up: Neville Peat
For "High Country Lark - an Invitation to Paradise" published by Longacre Press, 2008

Highly Commended: Hamish Beaton
For "Under the Osakan Sun" published by Awa Press, 2008

Highly Commended: Kennedy Warne
For "Roads Less Travelled - 20 Years Exploration with NZ Geographic" published by Penguin NZ, 2008

Whitcoulls Readers' Choice Award

Winner: Hamish Beaton
For "Under the Osakan Sun" published by Awa Press, 2008

Photography Awards:

Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Winner: Amos Chapple

Runners Up: Todd Eyre and Grant Sheehan

Highly Commended: Aaron McLean and Michaela Heron

Jucy Rentals Award for the Best Travel Image Taken in New Zealand and Pacific Islands

Winner: Mark Dwyer
for his image of two boys on a rope swing, Tehenu Walkway, New Plymouth. Published in the Taranaki Daily News, January 2008.

Runners Up:

Ross Giblin
for his image of youngster in Vanuatu making the most of an improvised toy Published in the Dominion Post, October 2008 and

Grant Sheehan
for his image of Ross Island, Antarctica, with Mt Erebus in minor eruption. Published in the New Zealand Landscapes book Phantom House Books, 2008

Highly Commended:

Dean Starnes
for his image of skeleton men in Papua New Guinea Published in his book Roam, The Art of Travel (Harper Collins) and

Grant Sheehan
for his image of fast ice near Scott Base, Antarctica, with Mt Erebus washed by high winds, and published in the New Zealand Landscapes book Phantom House Books, 2008

Leica Award for the Best Travel Image Taken Outside New Zealand

Winner: Mark Coote
for his image taken in a barber shop in Casa Viejo, the old part of Panama City. Published in Dominion Post in June 2008.

Runners Up:

Amos Chapple
for his images of a tea worker walking home through plantations in a tropical storm in India and a man walking through Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Both published in NZ Herald, March 2008 and

Todd Eyre
for his image of a soldier standing guard at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Published in Kia Ora Magazine, July 2008.

Highly Commended:

Todd Eyre for his image of Toul Sleng Genocide museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, published in Kia Ora Magazine, April 2008.

Amos Chapple, for his image of Charlize Theron making her red carpet appearance in Venice, published in the NZ Herald September 2008

Chris Coad, for his images of Hong Kong with a monsoon approaching published in the Wellington Guide, Spring 2008.

The Air Vanuatu and Le Meridian Port Vila Resort & Casino Award for the Best Series of Travel Images

Winner: Aaron McLean
for his images of Kerala, India Published in the Cuisine Magazine, 2008

Runners Up:

Mark Dwyer
for his images of a festival in Bangalore celebrated with water and red dye Published in the Taranaki Daily News in March 2008 and

Grant Sheehan
for his images of icebergs in the Ross Sea. Published in the New Zealand Landscapes book Phantom House Books, 2008

Highly Commended:

Alan Gibson
for his images taken in a Fijian village on the island of Vita Levu and a series of images of the wine industry in South Australia. Both published in the NZ Herald, in August and September 2008.

Highly Commended: Paul Daly
for his images of MacKenzie Country Published in NZ Geographic magazine, November 2008

The AA Directions Magazine Award for Best Unpublished Travel Image

Winner: Amos Chapple
For his image taken in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Runners Up:

Michaela Heron
for her image taken of two children in a displaced people's camp, Lubumbashi, Katanaga in the Democratic Republic of Congo and

Kent Blechynden
for his image of local children playing with a soccer ball in Lovina, North Bali.

Highly Commended:

Alan Gibson for his image of children sitting patiently in a village hall in Fiji and

Amos Chapple for his image of a girl playing inside the statue Ero Boundon, in Market Square, Krakow, Poland and

Michaela Heron for her image taken of local children gathered around a projector waiting for a movie to start in the Democratic Republic of Congo and

Grant Sheehan for his image of Antarctica, with the lower slopes of Mt Erebus in the background.

For further information about any images or the photographers please contact Travcom Administrator Helen Davies on Ph: (09) 624 5707
Email: helen.davies@clear.net.nz