Lake Tahoe News on Tuesday received four awards from the North American Travel Journalists Association.

The 2011 NATJA Awards Competition, now in its 20th year, honors the “best of the best” of travel writing, photography and promotion that cover all aspects of the travel industry worldwide.

“This year’s entries were outstanding, both in quality of the journalism, excellence and range of coverage,” Helen Hernandez, CEO of the organization, said in a statement. “The number of entries continues to grow. The creativity is reflective of the vibrancy of the travel journalists’ community. This year’s entry pool is an indicative of the economic recovery and its positive effect on the travel industry.”

Pandas in China earned Lake Tahoe News a first place travel writing award. Photo/Kathryn Reed

One first place (Gold) winner is chosen in each of the 59 categories along with 2nd (Silver) and 3rd place (Bronze) runners up.

Lake Tahoe News submitted five entries for the online division and won in four of those categories.

The winners are:

• Eco, Environmental or Special Purpose Travel:

Gold: Kathryn Reed, Taking a walk on the wild side with panda paradise

• Sports and Recreation:

Silver: Susan Wood, Pedaling back in time through the hills of Vermont

• Resorts:

Silver: Susan Wood, Woodstock Inn – a landmark for the season and the ages

• Intergenerational and Family Travel:

Bronze: Kathryn Reed, South Dakota, a land of family history.

“Being recognized by your peers is always a humbling experience,” Lake Tahoe News Publisher Kathryn Reed said. “For Lake Tahoe News to do so well in its first competition is extremely gratifying. We know Lake Tahoe is a wonderful place to live, work and play, but we will continue to share with our readers the other magnificent places the world has to offer and hope that you enjoy reading those articles as much as we enjoy bringing them to you.”

The mission of NATJA is to foster high quality journalism by supporting the professional development of its members, providing exceptional benefits and valuable resources, honoring the excellence of journalism throughout the world, and promoting travel and leisure activities to the public at large.