Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Occupations
  • Photographer
  • Travel writer

Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Nigerian photographer, speaker, travel storyteller and an international author whose books are published in 18 languages.[1] She is based in Stockholm, Sweden.[2] She is the current editor-in-chief for Slow Travel Stockholm.[3] Her works have been featured in the National Geographic Traveler, BBC, and CNN, among other publications.[4] She studied Geography Information System (GIS) and holds a masters degree at the University of Maryland.[5]Her work focuses on culture, tradition, and lifestyle.[6] She has dispatched from more than 70 countries with work in National Geographic, New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Forbes, and many others.[7] She has collaborated with brands such as Dove, Mercedes Benz, Intrepid Travel, Electrolux, and National Geographic Channel.[8] She is a Hasselblad Heroine and 2018 Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year.[9] Her photography is in the National Geographic Image Collection and she's a proud member of Women Photograph and Wonderful Machine.She was recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in Media & Culture, and she runs her own online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, dedicated to storytelling.[10]

Early life and education

She started her early life in Lagos state(south west )Nigeria, where she completed her early school life before relocating to the United States at the age of 15.[11] She received a master's degree in Information System from the University of Maryland.[12] At the age of 19, she gained admission to the University of Oxford in England but failed to pursue it because of funding. In 2006, Åkerström relocated to Sweden with her husband.[11]

Career

Åkerström started her career as a field journalist at Eco-Challenge.[13] She worked for 12 years as a GIS developer before becoming a professional photographer. Between 2006 and 2007, she joined Matador Network and worked as an editor.[5] In October 2009 she resigned her appointment at the GIS world to pursue her passion.[5] In June 2011, Åkerström contested in a pre-selection program organised by Quark Expeditions to pick a writer that will be traveling to the North Pole for the project of documenting its ecosystem.[14] In 2012 she participated in the expedition race in Fiji, where she started the combination of her traveling, photography and writing skills.[15] In 2016, she went to Italy to attend the Unesco World Heritage Sites of Sabbioneta and Mantua for exploration.[2]

Her work has appeared in numerous reputable publications, online and in print, including: Vogue, BBC, National Geographic Traveler, Travel Channel's World Hum, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes Traveler, Sherman's Travel, Fodors.com, ISLANDS Magazine, United's Hemispheres, AFAR, Guardian UK's Been There, Smithsonian.com, City Magazine, The Away Network, Transitions Abroad, and The Matador Network.[16]

Awards

[17]

YearClassCategoryAwarding bodyWork
2017 First placeCategory 7: HistorySATWEnchanting Odense
2017 First placeCategory 5: Sport or AdventureSATWNorthern Lights
2017 First placeCategory 4: Food and WineSATWFrom Sea to Table
2017 Second placeCategory 1: Single DestinationSATWStockholm
2017 First placeCategory 1: Single DestinationSATWLagos
2016 Honorable MentionBest in Travel WritingSolasTerracotta
2015 GoldCategory 127: 50+ TravelNATJA"The New Age of Adventure," Women's Adventure Magazine
2015 SilverCategory 125: Personality and ProfilesNATJAThe New Age of Adventure
2014 BronzeCategory 140: Local LifestyleNATJA"The Silence of the Swedes," Roads & Kingdoms/Slate
2014 BronzeBest in Travel WritingSolasTravel & Shopping – Fake Birds
2013 SilverCategory 193: Travel Tips & AdviceNATJA"5 Ways to Get More Mileage From Smart Phone Photos," Mashable
2013 SilverCategory 140: Local LifestyleNATJA"The Silence of the Swedes," Roads & Kingdoms/Slate
2013 SilverCategory 172: Landscape, SeascapeNATJA"10 Tips for Photographing Northern Lights," Fodor's
2013 FinalistCategory 125: Personality and ProfilesNATJA"Insight-Ice Hotel/Arne Bergh," Qatar Airways Oryx Inflight Magazine
2013 FinalistCategory 149: Culinary TravelNATJA"Navigating Gothenburg’s Culinary Scene," BBC Travel
2013 Gold AwardBest in Travel WritingSolasCulture and Ideas – Decoding Lagom (Sweden)
2013 Regional Award Winner: AfricaThe Hot Mommas ProjectPress Release
2012 BronzeCategory 173: Portrait, PeopleNATJA"Through the Lens: Kwazulu-natal, South Africa,” National Geographic Channel
2012 SilverCategory 149: Culinary TravelNATJA"10 Things to Know About Sweden’s Food Culture," Sweden.se
2012 FinalistCategory 132: Eco, Environmental or Special Purpose TravelNATJA"Stockholm’s Green Groove," Thai Airways’ Sawasdee In-Flight Magazine
2012 SilverCategory 176: Photo EssayNATJA"The Spirit of Lapland," Wild Junket
2012 SilverBest in Travel WritingSolasTravel and Food – Meat My Love (Global)
2011 GoldCategory 145: Personality and Profiles (Internet)NATJA"Slow Food From Sápmi" – Sweden.se
2011 GoldCategory 149: Culinary Travel (Internet)NATJA"Revamping classic Irish tea at Dublin’s Merrion Hotel" – Matador Network
2011 SilverBest in Travel WritingSolasTravel and Food – Sweet Pillows (Portugal)
2011 Judges’ VoteBlack Weblog AwardsBest International Blog – Geotraveler's Niche
2011 Silver (Group Award)Lowell Thomas AwardSociety of American Travel Writers (SATW)Online Travel Journalism Site-Matador Network
2010 SilverCategory 140: Local Lifestyle (Internet)NATJABack to Sender" – Matador Network
2010 Bronze AwardCategory 120: Local Lifestyle (Print)NATJA"Röckåbilly" – Hemispheres
2010 Silver (Group Award)Lowell Thomas AwardSociety of American Travel Writers (SATW)Online Travel Journalism Site – Matador Network
2010 Gold AwardBest in Travel WritingNATJATravel and Shopping – Walkway to Nowhere (Nigeria)
2009 Bronze AwardBest in Travel WritingNATJATravel and Shopping – Market Hopping Around Lagos (Nigeria)
2008 Runner-up WinnerNarrative Travel Writing ContestNATJATransitions Abroad – Market Hopping Around Lagos (Nigeria)

References

  1. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Åkerström – IWMF". www.iwmf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  2. 1 2 Bastock, Louise (2016-05-06). "Meet a traveller: Lola Akinmade Åkerström, travel writer and photographer". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Contributors". Slow Travel Stockholm. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  4. ↑ "Stop! This is what lagom truly means". 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  5. 1 2 3 Awomodu, Gbenga. "Proudly African, In Love With Scandinavia & Exploring the World: Time Out with Lola Akinmade, Award-Winning Travel Writer & Photographer". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  6. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Åkerström – IWMF". www.iwmf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  7. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Åkerström – IWMF". www.iwmf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  8. ↑ creative, efelle. "Virtual Meet the Author: Lola Akinmade Åkerström, "In Every Mirror She..." National Nordic Museum. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  9. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Åkerström". www.hasselblad.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  10. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Åkerström – IWMF". www.iwmf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  11. 1 2 "Lola Akinmade Åkerström: The GeoTraveler Who Finally Found Her Niche". Career. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Lola Akinmade Akerstrom". The Advice Project. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Nellie Huang. "travel writing corner interview lola akinmade". wildjunk. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  14. ↑ staff. "Join Lola Akinmade to explore the North Pole". Nigeria Abroad magazine. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "interview Lola Akinmade Akestrom". jetting around. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Awomodu, Gbenga (2011-04-01). "Proudly African, In Love With Scandinavia & Exploring the World: Time Out with Lola Akinmade, Award-Winning Travel Writer & Photographer". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  17. ↑ North America Travel Journalist Association. "Award". Retrieved 6 June 2016.
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