National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s Farida Zeynalova and Sam Kemp have been recognised as winners at this year’s Inspire Global Media Awards and Africa Travel Week (ATW) Media Awards, with additional honours for Angela Locatelli and the wider editorial team. 

At the Inspire Global Media Awards, held on Monday 13 April 2026, the awards celebrated sustainable, positive-impact tourism storytelling across all forms of media. The following accolades were awarded: 

Consumer Feature of the Year: Farida Zeynalova — Winner 
Explore Azerbaijan’s wine history — and its unexpected German past 

Consumer Feature of the Year: Angela Locatelli — Highly Commended 
The Stuff of Legends 

Positive Impact Story Producer of the Year: National Geographic Traveller (UK) — Highly Commended 

Farida said: “Being recognised for a story on my motherland feels particularly special. It’s an endlessly fascinating country — especially when it comes to food and wine. As I always say, you can take the girl out of Azerbaijan, but she’ll spend the rest of her life writing about it.” 

Meanwhile, at the Africa Travel Week (ATW) Media Awards, held on 12 April in Cape Town, South Africa, Sam Kemp, assistant editor at National Geographic Traveller (UK), was named a winner: 

Destination Feature Award: Sam Kemp — Gold Winner 
Sierra Leone: After the Storm 

With more than170 submissions in this category this year, this is a huge achievement. 

Sam said: “This was my first big feature for National Geographic Traveller (UK), so I’m absolutely over the moon to find out that the judges enjoyed it. I really hope it encourages more people to explore Sierra Leone and discover the country’s fascinating stories for themselves.” 

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About APL Media  
APL Media is a multi-award-winning content marketing agency and publisher, producing high-quality print, digital and live media across the travel and lifestyle sectors. Since 1997, it has published National Geographic Traveller (UK) under licence from National Geographic Partners LLC, supported by brand extensions including guides, events and digital platforms. The portfolio also features Living360, a digital lifestyle brand covering wellness, travel, food, sustainability and culture, distributed via national media and its own platform. APL Media delivers custom content, branded campaigns, editorial consultancy, internship schemes including Step Up and leading events such as the Travel Media Awards. Its trade titles include Postcards and the ASTA Worldwide Destination Guide, with content also produced for national newspapers.  
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