Sixteenth Annual Solas Awards Winners

Announced March 30, 2022

Grand Prize for Best Travel Story of the Year

Gold ($1000)
Boots Bilong Mi by Patrick Ritter

Silver ($750)
Honor and the Sea by Janna Brancolini

Bronze ($500)
The Shakeout Trip by Robert Dale Fama
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Category Award Winners

Adventure Travel
The best story of high adventure, danger, or physical challenge
Gold: Travels in Terra Incognita by Masha Nordbye
Silver: Imprisoned in La Paz by Emma Morrell
Bronze: Tschiffley’s Epic Equestrian Ride by Mark Walker

Animal Encounter
The best account of meeting snakes, elephants, rhinos, gorillas, birds, or other creatures
Gold: Into the Swarm by Lisa Boice
Silver: The Wisdom in the Water by James Dorsey
Bronze: What I Learned from the Octopus by MJ Pramik

Bad Trip
The best account of when things go wrong, or the shadow side of a culture or individual
Gold: Revenge of the Saguaro by Tom Miller
Silver: Carbonized by Kathleen Spivack
Bronze: Escaping Death Valley by Lisa O’Kane

Cruise Story
The best account of a trip on the water in any vessel, from the smallest kayak to the largest ship
Gold: In Search of Terra Australis by Masha Nordbye
Silver: Lost at Sea by Carmen Bellos
Bronze: The Day Doug Fell Overboard by Marina Brown

Culture and Ideas
The best story or essay about how art, history, currents events, fashion, or music affected a traveler or a trip
Gold: Exploding Valencia by Lenore Greiner
Silver: Blue in Toulouse by Moriah Costa
Bronze: The Cross by Tania Amochaev

Destination Story
The best story about a place that captures its essence and reveals its attractions, making the reader want to go there
Gold: Orson, Me, and Our Hilltop Captor by Sue Maccia
Silver: Pilgrimage to the Ice Continent by MJ Pramik
Bronze: The Quetzals Are Still Soaring by Ying Xiong

Doing Good or the Kindness of Strangers
The most inspiring tale of aid, comfort, philanthropy, or caring for others in faraway places, or of being the recipient of a stranger’s largesse
Gold: Light and Love by Tania Amochaev
Silver: Mongolian Disco by MJ Pramik
Bronze: Journey to Zenzellma by Kris Fricke

Elder Travel
The best story from a traveler 65 years of age or older
Gold: I Am Zhyd by Russell Frank
Silver: Searching for the Light by James Dorsey
Bronze: On the Paralia by Russell Frank

Family Travel
The best story about traveling with family of all generations, including grandparents, parents, children, cousins, siblings or journeying to discover roots
Gold: Lunigiana by George Tonelli
Silver: Storyteller by Rebecca Eckland
Bronze: Shifting Sands by Emma Morrell

Funny Travel
The funniest account of a misadventure or an essay about how the world can make us laugh at ourselves and those around us
Gold: La Placa by Barbara Ridley
Silver: When You Gotta Go: a Lesson from a Spanish Pilgrimage by Nicolle Goldman
Bronze: It’s Not a Cruise, It’s a Crossing by Bill Brown

Love Story
The best account of love or romance on the road
Gold: Pair Bond by Lisa Boice
Silver: The Kingdom of Nobody by Amanda Summer
Bronze: Free Fall in Central America by Diane LeBow

Men’s Travel 
The best account by a man of a testosterone-fueled encounter or experience on the road
Gold: Journey with an Amazonian Shaman by Johnny Motley
Silver: Eroded Myths by Robert Annis
Bronze: No Pasa Nada by Jonathan Rice

Most Unforgettable Character 
The story that best captures how one individual or group of people affected a traveler in a meaningful way
Gold: Making the Butterflies Dance by James Dorsey
Silver: Mud and Lotus Flowers by Lenore Greiner
Bronze: A Journey of Secrets by Rosie Cohan

Travel and Food
The best story where food or drink plays a role in introducing the traveler to a foreign culture or new friends
Gold: USA vs USA by Eva Sandoval
Silver: The Truffle Hunt by Susan Van Allen
Bronze: The Alchemy That Binds by Cecilia Lee

Travel and Healing
The best story about visits with shamans, healers, holy men and women, or holy sites in search of a cure for illness or psychological malady
Gold: The Fat Ladies of Malta by Laurie King
Silver: Park of the Fallen Heroes by Laurie King
Bronze: Plan Be by Lisa Boice

Travel and Shopping
The best account of a shopping, bargaining, or haggling experience in a market, bazaar, outlet, or mall, anywhere in the world
Gold: A Voyeur in Libya by Laurie King
Silver: Can a Picture of a Cake Taste Like a Cake? by John Kachuba
Bronze: Make it Spicy by Emma Morrell

Travel and Sports
The best account of a sports activity while traveling, such as climbing, rafting, sailing, trekking, swimming,    kayaking, canoeing, fishing, skiing, baseball, Frisbee, polo, basketball
Gold: Riding Out by Julia Booth
Silver: The Perfect Run by Jack Bernard
Bronze: The Place of Lost Lows and Found Highs by Karen Wertheim

Travel and Transformation
The best story about the inner journey or pilgrimage, whether religious, mystical, psychological, or emotional
Gold: The House of Transfiguration by Dianne Cheseldine
Silver: Baker Beach by Tania Amochaev
Bronze: Spark of Hope by Michele Bigley

Travel Memoir
The best story that draws heavily on the writer’s past to make a point or reveal the lessons of a lifetime
Gold: The Medusa of Time by Daniel Hudon
Silver: Target Bird by Lisa Boice
Bronze: A Furious Angel by Tania Amochaev

Women’s Travel
The best account by a woman of an encounter or experience on the road
Gold: Strange Birds by Andrea Eldridge
Silver: Bright Blossom of the Pacific by Linda Ballou
Bronze: True Stories by Kathleen Spivak

Young Traveler 
The best story from a young person (aged 18-25 at the time of writing) taking time off to travel between high school and college, or during breaks
Gold: An Ireland Travel Log: At a Snail’s Pace by Mellisa Pascale
Silver: no award
Bronze: no award

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Honorable Mention

Homage to Lady Gregory by David Hopes
Mayflower Memories by Laurie King
The Call of the Nightjar by Laurie King
Wash and Go and the Stupid Watch by Kevin McCaughey
No Dog Is an Island by Richard Pallardy
Turkey’s Unique Hand-Sanitizing Methog by Jenna Scatena
Social Distance by Jodie Vinson
The Prophecy by Russell Working