Award-winning journalist Dwight Drummond to host CTO's travel media awards in Toronto

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has announced the finalists for its annual media awards competition for the Canadian market. Canadian journalists will be recognised during the Media Day luncheon on 22 August at the Boulevard Club (1491 Lake Shore Blvd. West, Toronto).

Hosted by award-winning journalist Dwight Drummond (pictured above), the awards luncheon honours journalists who have produced Caribbean stories for Canadian and other media outlets.

Following are the Caribbean Media Awards finalists for each category: 

I Couldn’t Have Written It Better Myself: Best Feature in a Consumer Newspaper

v  Melanie Reffes: “Caribbean Cruise Ports: What to do When You Get There” – The Suburban

v  Pamela Fieber: “Much to Sip and Savour High Up in the Blue Mountains” – Calgary Herald

v  Erin MacLeod: “In Post-Carnival Trinidad, the Party Never Really Ends” – The New York Times

Been There, Wrote That: Best Feature in a Consumer Magazine

v  Mark Stevens: “Looking for Jerk in All the Right Places” – All At Sea

v  Josephine Matyas: “The Soul Cleansing Beauty of Dominica” –  Luxe

v  Wayne Curtis: “Rum for It” – En Route

Inner Circle King/Queen: Best Feature in a Trade Publication

v  Mark Stevens: “Saint Lucia: Inspiration Island” – Caribbean Business & Travel

v  Martha Chapman: “Inside the Real Barbados” – Open Jaw

v  Anita Draycott: “Liming Bajan Style” –  Travel Industry Today 

Virtual Visitor Award: Best Online Feature

v  Josephine Matyas: “Cruising the British Virgin Islands”  – Dreamscapes   

v  Jennifer Merrick: “Montego Bay – Relearning the Art of Doing Nothing” – Modern Mississauga

v  Bianca Bujan: “How to Eat Like a Bajan” – BC Living

Oh Snap! Best Photograph Accompanying a Story

v  Jennifer Merrick: “Bob Marley’s Jamaica”  –  Buffalo Spree

v  Sharon Matthews-Stevens: “An Abacos Adventure” –  Canadian Yachting

v  Ann Ruppenstein: “Discovering Another Side of Jamaica” –  Travel Courier

Oh My Word, I Blogged!: Best Blog Posting

v  Tamara Elliott: “Belize’s ATM Cave Tour: Where Adventure Meets Mayan Sacrifices” – Globe Guide

v  Marilyn Préfontaine: “Douce Martinique: l’île aux mille couleurs” – Marginale et heureuse

v  Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil: “ Green Grotto Caves –  The Natural Beauty of Runaway Bay” – The PlanetD.com

Me Too! I Rediscovered Home! Best Feature by a Diasporan Journalist in Diaspora Media

v  Michael Van Cooten: “Soca Royalty”  –  Pride News

v  Parm Palmer: “Things to do in Grenada” – The Planet D

v  Simone Jennifer Smith: “How Much Can You Fit into One Day? – The Journey Through Kingston, Jamaica!” - Toronto Caribbean Newspaper

Look, I’ve Gone Social: Best Social Media Coverage of an Event or Activity

v  Kael Rebick: “Fam Trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines”

v  Diana Becevello: “A Catamaran Trip to Turks and Caicos Islands”

I Have Influence: Best Executed Influencer Campaign That Delivered Results Based On Agreed Objectives

v  Monika Koehler: “#LoveBarbadosFood”

CTO assembled a panel of expert media and travel industry judges to review submissions and determine the award winners, led by head judge Tim Doyle:

• Tim Doyle is coordinator of journalism programmes at Centennial College, including the school’s innovative postgraduate programme in contemporary journalism that was introduced in 2018. Doyle worked for more than 20 years in print journalism before moving to digital in 1999 as founding executive producer of hockey website, Faceoff.com. Later, with Canwest andPostmedia, he held a number of senior roles including founding editor-in-chief of theCanada.com network and vice president and editor-in-chief New Media. Doyle joined the faculty at Centennial in 2014 and teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and in the school’s joint programme with the University of Toronto Scarborough. 

• Kattrin Duncan has more than 15 years on Destination Ontario’s media relations team and has been a trusted partner to journalists, editors and the travel PR industry across the globe. Duncan is always eager to pitch interesting Ontario story ideas or assist media with finding compelling content. 

• Anna Hobbs turned to travelling – across Canada and around the world –writing about her experiences after a fulfilling 25-year stint on the editorial staff at Canadian Living.

• Josh Kahn is a well-respected tourism industry consultant and public relations specialist at award-winning boutique agency KTCpr as well as immediate past chairman for the prestigious New York Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

• Sandra Kitchen, following a 20 year career with Sunquest Vacations, established Worldly Marketing Strategies in 2001. With a focus towards the entrepreneurial tourism and publishing industries, Kitchen has been associated with Dreamscapes Travel and Lifestyle Magazine as publisher from 2001 to 2011, and is currently associate publisher.