Breaking Boundaries: Celebrating My NAEJ Win and the Journey of Award-Winning Work

I’m thrilled to share that I WON in the Diversity in Entertainment category at the 2024 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for my podcast interview with Carolyn Ray of JourneyWoman!

What an absolute honor to be nominated FOUR times this year—and to now celebrate as a 9-time winner and 35-time finalist! I’m also deeply humbled to be nominated multiple times at both the NAEJ and Southern California Journalism Awards for Online Journalist of the Year.

This recognition means so much, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Los Angeles Press Club for not only celebrating my work but for the career-changing opportunities they’ve given me. From mentoring to networking and connecting with extraordinary people, they’ve been a transformative part of my journey.

I want to thank ALL of my incredible podcast guests—now spanning five seasons of Make Your Own Map! Each of you has brought unique perspectives, meaningful stories, and powerful insights to the mic, making this journey truly special. From Beth Santos and Carolyn Ray to Samantha Brown and beyond, you inspire me to keep asking questions and sharing stories that matter.

A HUGE thank you to the judges, my listeners, and everyone who continues to support my storytelling. My book has won awards, my podcast has won awards, and both my digital and print work have been recognized. I’m also excited to share that my YouTube channel has surpassed 2.25 million views—an incredible milestone that wouldn’t have been possible without you all.

I’m honored, inspired, and more motivated than ever to keep going! Here’s to continuing the journey and telling stories that connect us all.

What an honor to be nominated for online journalist of the year among these other incredible journalists:

A3. Online Journalist of the Year — Independent

Lisa Niver, We Said Go Travel

J3. Diversity in the Entertainment Industry

Lisa Niver, PODCAST: Make Your Own Map, “Ageless Ambition: Inspirational Leadership of Carolyn Ray, JourneyWoman”
Lisa Niver, PODCAST: Make Your Own Map, “Maximum Beth: Disrupting Travel for Women, Changing the Wander World Worldwide – A Community Builder’s Journey”

J5. One-on-One Interview, TV Personalities

Lisa Niver, We Said Go Travel, “Journey into the World of Wanderlust: Samantha Brown, Travel Goddess”

I also help with social media for LA Press Club—

Lisa Niver has won many awards! From 2017 to 2024, in the Southern California Journalism Awards and National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, she has won nine times and been a finalist thirty-five times for a variety of broadcast, print, podcast and digital categories.

2024 Winner: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards Diversity in the Entertainment Industry
2024 4x Finalist: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards finalist for Online Journalist of the Year, and for three of my podcast interviews with Beth Santos, Wanderful, Carolyn Ray, JourneyWoman, and Samantha Brown, Places to Love.
2024 2x Winner: Southern California Journalism Awards for podcast segments with Samantha Brown, Places to Love, and Tony Phelan, A Small Light
2024 6x Finalist: Southern California Journalism Awards for Online Journalist of the Year, Podcast Host and for my podcast interviews with Andrew McCarthy, Samantha Brown, Tony Phelan and Christie Tate
2023 Winner: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards Diversity in Entertainment
2023 3x Finalist: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards
2023 2x Finalist: Southern California Journalism Awards for Travel Reporting and Podcast Interview
2022 Finalist: Southern California Journalism Awards for BOOK CRITICISM
2021 Finalist: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for Commentary Diversity/Gender and Commentary Analysis/Trend — Film
2021 Winner: Southern California Journalism Awards for TECHNOLOGY REPORTING
2021 Finalist: Southern California Journalism Awards for BOOK CRITICISM
2020 Winner: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for Book Critic. See all of Lisa’s book reviews here.
2020 Finalist: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for Book Critic
2020 Winner: Southern California Journalism Awards for print magazine article: Hemispheres Magazine for United Airlines
2020 Five Time Finalist: Southern California Journalism awards

2019 Winner: NAEJ Award for KTLA TV segment
2019 Finalist: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards in three categories
- Category H2a. Soft News: Ms. Magazine: Polar Bears Can’t Vote So You Have To
- Category F6a. Soft News Feature – Under 5 Minutes—Film/TV: KTLA TV Oscars Countdown to Gold with Lisa Niver
- Category C1b. Business, Music/Tech/Art: My Wharton Magazine article: Four Female Founders Share Their Origin Stories
2019 Finalist: Southern California Journalism Awards for Broadcast Television Lifestyle Segment: Ogden Ski Getaway
2018 Finalist for three categories of Southern California Journalism Awards:
- SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY REPORTING: Smithsonian
- TRAVEL REPORTING: Popsugar Fitness
- PERSONALITY PROFILE: Saturday Evening Post
2017 2nd place winner for Southern California Journalism Award Print Column “A journey to freedom over three Passovers” and finalist for Travel Reporting.

More about Lisa Niver: https://lisaniver.com/awards/

More about BRAVE-ish

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning author, travel journalist and international speaker who has explored 102 countries on all seven continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award-winning global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded five Southern California Journalism Awards and four National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist thirty-five times. Named a top travel influencer, Niver talks travel on broadcast television, her YouTube channel with over 2.5 million views, and in her award-winning memoir, Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.