Cruising Norway and sustainable Melbourne: ASTW 2014 awards for excellence

I'm super-chuffed to announce that I've won two awards at the Australian Society of Travel Writers' 2014 awards, which were presented at the annual conference, this year in Fiji.

The awards were for best responsible tourism story, sponsored byTreadRight Foundation, under The Travel Corporation. This story, published in Honda magazine, is about travelling with a light eco-footprint in my hometown, Melbourne.

And the best cruise story, sponsored by TravMedia. This piece, published in the Sun-Herald newspaper, was about the journey of the Hurtigruten, down the Norwegian coastline. I reckon I deserved the award purely for hauling a 2 1/2  year old through Norway in mid-winter!

A massive thanks to the sponsors and the judges! I will post up the stories tomorrow.

Thanks also for all your messages of support and congratulations: it was my first ASTW AGM, and a great success all round.

Here's a list of all the winners of each 2014 Journalism Awards for Excellence:

• Travel Writer of the Year Award, sponsored by Tourism Fiji:

Ben Groundwater for Night Visions After Dark, The type of town that makes travelling great and Gone Native, no Bula

• PR Communicator or Communications Team of the Year Award, sponsored by TravMedia:

Kim McKay, Klick Communications

• Photographer of the Year Award, sponsored by Papua New Guinea Tourism Authority:

Cameron Cope for Fist and Magic - Senegal Wrestlers

• Best Australian Story Under 1000 Words Award, sponsored by Tourism Australia:

Cameron Cope for Myths and mountains

• Best Australian Story Over 1000 Words Award, sponsored by Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia:

Kerry van der Jagt for Saltwater Dreaming

• Best International Story Under 1000 Words Award, sponsored by Macau Government Tourist Office:

Daniel Scott for Bar/fly Wimbeldon Common

• Best International Story Over 1000 Words Award, sponsored by InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa:

Robert McFarland for Working on the chain gang

• Best Adventure Travel Story Award, sponsored by World Expeditions:

Roderick Eime for Spirit of Africa

•  Best Responsible Tourism Story Award, sponsored by The Travel Corporation's TreadRight Foundation:

Belinda Jackson for Sustainable Melbourne

• Outstanding Tourism Organisation or Travel Product Award, sponsored by PPR:

World Expeditions for the Larapinta Trail

• Best Food Travel Story Award, sponsored by Intrepid Travel:

Christine Retschlag for Rough road from prison gate to plate

• Best Cruise Travel Story, with a prize provided by TravMedia:

Belinda Jackson for Search for the glow

• ·   Best Luxury Travel Story, sponsored by Inspired Luxury and Elite Havens:

Louise Southerden for Wildly indulgent

• Best use of Digital - Writer, with a prize provided by Wotif:

Christina Pfeiffer for TRAVELTHERENEXT

• Best Travel Book, with a prize provided by TravMedia:

Danielle Lancaster for 4WD Treks Close to Brisbane

• Best Family Travel Story Award, with a prize provided  by Outrigger Resorts:

Tiana Templeman for Racing road trains in a campervan

• Best PR Campaign Award, with a prize provided by Sidekicker:

PPR for South African Tourism Australia