French Travel Media Awards 2016 follow hot on the heels of the Oscars
From trekking round Mont Blanc to camping in Provence, Nice on a shoestring to the culinary delights of Auvergne, the regions and lifestyle of France were celebrated by an inspirational variety of entries to this year’s French Travel Media Awards.
The winners were announced last night, March 1, at a celebratory evening in the stylish surroundings of Searcy’s country-style townhouse at 30 Pavilion Road in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge. And the judges? The people who matter most – the readers.
A shortlist of four articles per category was selected from amongst a record number of entries and then posted on the france.fr Facebook page. The site’s 90,000 UK fans were then invited to read the articles and vote for their favourites, with the chance to win a bottle of champagne for their efforts.
Sponsored by Voyages SNCF and compered by stand-up comedian and passionate Francophile Ian Moore, the evening was attended by more than 70 print and online journalists, as well as by representatives from French partners – Aix en Provence and Marseille, Antibes, Auvergne, France Montagne, Lille, Loire, Midi-Pyrénées, Normandy, Northern France, Toulouse, and Vendée.
And the winners were …
BEST GOLF FEATURE
Chris Bertram for ‘Focus on France’ in Golf World
(Nominees: Andy Goodall, Dorset Echo; Minty Clinch, The Mail on Sunday)
BEST FAMILY FEATURE
Emma Forrest for ‘Not just for the rich and famous’ (French Riviera) in Family Traveller magazine
(Nominees: Carolyn Boyd, France Magazine; Fiona Whitby, Sunday Mirror; Liz Edwards, Sunday Times Travel Magazine)
BEST REMEMBRANCE TOURISM FEATURE
Lindsay Sutton for ‘Remembering the spirit of Dunkirk’ published across 7 different regional titles including the Liverpool Echo
(Nominees: Andy Sibcy, Jersey Evening Post; Tim Davey, Bristol Post)
BEST WINE & GASTRONOMY
Paul Dring for ‘Queen of the South’ in Jamie magazine
(Nominees: Chris Zacharia, Flux magazine; Judy Armstrong, France magazine; Michael Raffael, Food & Travel magazine)
BEST CITY BREAK FEATURE
Audrey Gillan for ‘On a shoestring Nice’ in Olive magazine
(Nominees: Emma Thompson, National Geographic Traveller; Sarah Siese, The Mayfair Magazine; Tom Chesshyre, The Times)
BEST BLOG
Rosana McPhee for ‘Aquitaine region, Bordeaux and St Emilion’ in Hot & Chilli
(Nominees: Emily Mawson, countrybycountry.com; Julie Falconer, A Lady in London; Michael Cowton, essentialjourneys.co.uk)
BEST DESTINATION FEATURE
Karyn Noble for ‘A Weekend in Hyères’ at Lonely Planet online
(Nominees: Andrew Gilchrist, The Guardian; Carolyn Boyd, The Times; James Stewart (The Sunday Times, Travel).
The awards ceremony ended with a Special Recognition Award to France Magazine for its coverage and support of Paris following the November terrorist attacks. Editor Carolyn Boyd accepted the award on behalf of all the former editors, regular contributors and readers who made the tribute so special.
franceuncovered.com 