Eater Wins Silver Medal From the Society of American Travel Writers

Today, the University of Missouri School of Journalism announced the winners of its 2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, overseen and funded by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Eater was awarded a silver medal in the Special Packages/Series category for its multi-faceted editorial package “The Eater Guide to the Heartland.”

Eater’s collection of stories covered the diverse landscape that can be found in the geographic center of the country: Vietnamese cuisine in an Iowa factory town, the iconic burger and hot dogs of Oklahoma, how ice cream sandwiches and sports bars can become political, moonshine in Arkansas’s Delta region, and the case for more Indigenous foods in the region.

The Heartland-themed package was spearheaded by editors Nick Mancall-Bitel and Lesley Suter, and designed by associate creative director Nat Belkov and his team, with lively illustrations by Morgan Thompson. Contributors included former Eater staffers Monica Burton and Amy McCarthy, as well as myriad voices from the food world, such as chef Sean Sherman and Mecca Bos.

A panel of 26 judges combed over nearly 1,500 entries and praised work that fostered “connection” and “understanding” and “put readers on the edge of their seats” or were elevated by “smart, agile reportage.” The SATW foundation has been rewarding travel journalism work for more that 40 years.