Recreation.gov Announces 2023 "Share Your Story" Grand Prize Winners

The annual contest is an opportunity for visitors to win great prizes and inspire other travelers with stories of treasured memories made while experiencing America's federal lands and waters.

DENVER, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Recreation.gov announced the three grand prize winners of its annual "Share Your Story" writing contest, which invites participants to share stories highlighting their meaningful experiences at America's national parks, forests, and other federal recreation locations.

The main inspiration for Recreation.gov and Booz Allen Hamilton, the primary sponsor and administrator of the contest, is the focus on customer experience. Recreation.gov is dedicated to equity, fairness, conservation, and customer satisfaction, relying heavily on feedback and input from users to deliver a high-quality recreation management solution and reservation system. Visitors who choose to participate in the contest offer their unique voice as they capture heart-felt, humorous, inspirational, and sometimes outrageous stories of experiences at federal recreation destinations across the country.

"At Recreation.gov, we strive to empower people to dream, plan, experience and share our nation's federal lands and waters," said Tommy Drake, Program Manager for Recreation.gov. "As the government's outdoor recreation system for 14 Federal agencies, we welcome the opportunity to encourage visitors to share their memorable experiences which also helps us deliver on our mission to continually improve our service based on what we hear and learn from our users." 

Recreation.gov is thrilled to announce the grand prize winners, along with 18 additional category and monthly winners, who were selected by a panel of judges from Recreation.gov. Participants submitted stories in the following categories: Activities and Adventures, Reaching for the Stars, Traditions (Old and New), Family or Group Travel, and Reflection Journeys.

"Recreation.gov's annual Share Your Story contest demonstrates our continued commitment to elevating the customer experience to provide travelers with treasured memories at our federal lands and waters for years to come," said Will Healy, Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton. "We are excited to highlight the 2023 winners to share their positive experiences at destinations across the country and look forward to continuing our work in providing a valuable service that promotes equity and fairness for Recreation.gov users."

The 2023 "Share Your Story" contest grand prize winners:

Grand Prize and June Winner: Tracy Long's story, "My Brilliant Whitewater Grand Canyon Adventure," details her unforgettable experience whitewater rafting with friends on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. Pushing Tracy beyond her comfort zone to reach new travel accomplishments, Tracy reminisces on being filled with laughter and joy the entirety of her adventure and is looking forward to returning to the Colorado River in the future.

Grand Prize Second Place and September Winner: In "Third time's a charm," Stephen Bromberg describes experiencing a real-life glacier. Stephen and his partner, after many unsuccessful attempts, were finally able to make their dreams a reality by visiting the LeConte and Dawes Glaciers in Alaska to witness their beauty with their own eyes.

Grand Prize Third Place and June Winner: Scott Snell, as told in his story "Over 300 Continuous Trail Miles," competed in Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area's annual Capital Backyard Ultra. Scott details the beautiful scenery of the race location and his experience running three days and three nights to take home the winning title, building meaningful relationships with his competitors along the way.

The grand prize winners were awarded REI Gift Cards to help inspire and inform their next outdoor adventure and an America the Beautiful – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to provide access to thousands of federal recreation sites across the country.

All experiences and the accompanying stories and photos were captured between January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, at the facilities of one of the participating agencies: National Park Service; U.S. Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; National Archives; and NOAA Marine Sanctuaries. Complete contest rules can be found at: https://recreation.gov/shareyourstory/contest-rules.

About Recreation.gov
Recreation.gov is the government's centralized travel planning platform and reservation system for 14 federal agencies, offering the tools, tips, and information needed for visitors to discover destinations and activities, plan a trip, and explore outdoor and cultural destinations across the country.

Contact email: [email protected]

SOURCE Recreation.gov