The British Guild of Travel Writers has announced the finalists of the BGTW Members' Excellence Awards 2022 (MEA).

Our annual awards scheme recognises excellence across travel writing, blogging, broadcasting and photography. The nine individual awards and four portfolio awards were judged by more than 30 travel writers and other industry professionals from the UK and the BGTW's sister travel writing organisations in the US and Australia.

The winners will be announced at the BGTW Annual Gala Awards 2022 on the eve of World Travel Market on Sunday 6th November at Riverside Studios in west London. The event, which looks set to bring together more than 200 guests from the travel media community, will also see the announcement of the winners of the BGTW International Tourism Awards 2022.

Commenting on the MEA finalists, Meera Dattani, BGTW chair, says: “The BGTW awards recognise excellence in travel writing, blogging, broadcasting and photography. The categories reflect the diverse range of work carried out by members - work that has appeared in all the leading travel media. Running alongside the MEAs, the BGTW International Tourism Awards highlight tourism projects in the UK and across the world that deserve wider recognition, as nominated and voted on by members."

To buy your tickets for the #BGTWAwards2022 on Sunday 6th November, and enjoy an evening of networking with the very best of the travel media community, go to the BGTW website. The finalists in the BGTW Members' Excellence Awards are:

*TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR - UK*

Pól Ó Conghaile
Northern Lights, National Geographic Traveller UK

Simon Parker
Exploring the wildest corner of Britain – in winter, The Telegraph

Lorna Parkes
House of horror: Bath opens world's first museum dedicated to Mary Shelley, The Guardian

Michael Unwin
Springwatch unplugged: A stay at one of Britain's most remote holiday homes, The Guardian

Jessica Vincent
The plan to connect every British town, BBC Travel

Kerry Walker
Why the wilds of Mid Wales are the perfect antidote to Britain's busy beaches, The Telegraph

*TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR - NON-UK*

Emma Gregg
Leave no trace, National Geographic Traveller

Ben Lerwill
How the safari sector is bouncing back in South Africa's north east, National Geographic Traveller UK

Shafik Meghji
Sustainability and survival in the Bolivian Amazon, JRNY

Shafik Meghji
A journey to the end of the world, Wanderlust

James Stewart
Noah? Show me where the ocean is? The Daily Telegraph

Antonia Windsor
Foodie adventures and family nostalgia in the Algarve, The Times

*TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR - REGIONAL AND SPECIALIST MEDIA*

Richard Collett
How hiking Britain's longest trail helped me recover from COVID-19, Lonely Planet

Stuart Forster
Immerse yourself in medieval times, Discover Germany, Switzerland and Austria

Lynn Houghton
Feeling of freedom, Selling Travel / BMI Publishing

Ben Lerwill
Step by (slow) step, Breathe Magazine

Jonathan Thompson
Here's to what really happens to your lost luggage, METRO

*SPECIALIST TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR - THE BRYN FRANK AWARD*

Ash Bhardwaj
Travellers of Colour, Telegraph

Brian Jackman
Tuning In, Travel Africa

Shafik Meghji
Hope is out there: What a decade of travels in Bolivia has taught me about the climate crisis, Adventure.com

Adrian Phillips
High on a hill, National Geographic Traveller UK

Adrian Phillips
The Coast is clear, National Geographic Traveller UK

Jessica Vincent
The city of rice: Alicante's enduring obsession with arroz, National Geographic Traveller Food

*TRANSPORT FEATURE OF THE YEAR - THE KENNETH WESTCOTT-JONES AWARD*

Claire Boobbyer
Take the road less travelled: cycling Norfolk's country lanes, The Times

Isabel Conway
Captivated by the Queen of the French waterways, The Business Post

Tracey Croke
A Musher's Tale, MiNDFOOD Magazine

Ben Lerwill
A winter's trail: Taking Wales's fabulous Cambrian coastal railway off season, The Independent

James Stewart
Sailing back from the brink, Financial Times

Sue Watt
The Elephant Express and beyond, JRNY

*TRAVEL GUIDE BOOK OF THE YEAR*

Claire Boobbyer
Havana Pocket Precincts, Hardie Grant

Steph Dyson
Moon Chile, with Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Moon

James Rushforth
Photographing Iceland Volumes 1 & 2, fotoVUE

Murray Stewart
Camino Ignaciano - Walking the Ignatian Way in Northern Spain, Bradt

Martin Symington
Britain's Sacred Places, Bradt

Kerry Walker
Under the Stars - Europe, Lonely Planet

*TRAVEL NARRATIVE BOOK OF THE YEAR - THE ADELE EVANS AWARD*

Tharik Hussain
Minarets in the Mountains: a Journey into Muslim Europe, Bradt

Shafik Meghji
Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia, Latin America Bureau

Simon Parker
Riding Out, Summersdale

*TRAVEL PHOTO FEATURE OF THE YEAR*

Tim Bird
Snow brings light and life to Helsinki, ThisisFinland.fi

Bella Falk
What will happen to the 7th continent? BBC Travel

Jeremy Flint
Madeira Photo Journal, British Airways Highlife Magazine

Emma Gregg
Leave no trace, National Geographic Traveller

Lynn Houghton
Back to where it all began, Wanderlust

Nori Jemil
'More like war photography': Photographing the Arctic during a climate crisis, Adventure.com

Michael Unwin
Return of the wild, Wanderlust

Simon Urwin
Southern Comforts, JRNY

*TRAVEL BLOG POST OF THE YEAR*

Mary Anne Evans
An idiot's guide to French architecture, Mary Anne's France

Paul Healy
Embrace a new you with these 16 outdoor adventures in England, Anywhere We Roam

Alastair McKenzie
Where Nelson lost his arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, MechTraveller

Jonathan Thompson
In Jordan, To Grandmother's house we go, Afar.com

Sue Watt
Tracking mountain gorillas in the post-pandemic era, RoundTrip Foundation

*TRAVEL BROADCAST OF THE YEAR*

Ash Bhardwaj
First dispatch from Nepal, The First Mile podcast

Heidi Fuller-Love
Meet the Locals Crete, BBC's From our own correspondent

Shafik Meghji
The unparalleled beauty of Easter Island, Wanderlust: Off the Page podcast

Simon Parker
Gorongosa National Park, The Telegraph - Journeysmiths

Jonathan Thompson
Quebec - Adventure Cities, Discovery Channel

*BGTW TRAVEL BLOGGER OF THE YEAR*

Lucy Dodsworth
Explore the Cotswolds

Mary Anne Evans
Mary Anne's France

Bella Falk
Passport & Pixels

Paul Healy
Anywhere We Roam

Alastair McKenzie
MechTraveller

Claire Robinson
Weekend Candy

Susan Schwartz
A Lush Life Manual

*BGTW TRAVEL BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR*

Ash Bhardwaj
North York Moors National Park, BBC, The First Mile, Costa Rica Tourist Board

Isabel Conway
World Report RTE One Radio

Andrea McVeigh
Travel in your Pocket podcast

Aaron Millar
Wanderlust: Off the Page

Simon Parker
The Telegraph, Journeysmiths

Jonathan Thompson
Adventure Cities, Afar, Times Travel

*BGTW PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR*

Tim Bird
ThisisFinland.fi, Bradt - The Travel Club e-zine

Tracey Croke
MiNDFOOD

Bella Falk
Discover Britain, BBC Travel

Jeremy Flint
Canon Photo Plus magazine

Diana Jarvis
The Rough Guide to Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Space.com, The Guardian, Weather2Travel

Nori Jemil
Wanderlust Magazine, Adventure.com, Outlook Travel Magazine

James Rushforth
fotoVUE

Karolina Wiercigroch
National Geographic Traveller UK

*BGTW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR*

Heidi Fuller-Love
Telegraph Travel, The Guardian

Ben Lerwill
The Independent, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller

Adrian Phillips
Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Traveller, Sunday Times

Jonathan Thompson
Sunday Times, National Geographic Traveller

Emma Thomson
The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times; The Sunday Telegraph; The Daily Telegraph

Jessica Vincent
BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveller Food, The Independent

You can also see the full list of nominees at https://bgtw.org/bgtw-members-excellence-awards-2022/

Tickets
Head over to the BGTW website https://bgtw.org/product/2022-gala-ticket/ to find out more about the event and to buy tickets.

Raffle prizes
The BGTW's charity partner for 2022 is the Charitable Travel Fund. If you or your organisation can offer a travel/lifestyle-related prize to raise funds for community projects around the world, please email us at hello@bgtw.org

The BGTW would like to congratulate their finalists and look forward to an evening of networking on Sunday 6th November.