2022
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Digital Platform: Florida Hikes (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Digital Platform: Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail app (with John Keatley)
First Place, Outdoor Book: Florida Trail Hikes (Second Edition) (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Book: The Florida Trail Guide (Fourth Edition) (with John Keatley)
2021
Sandra and her Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Hardy Bryan Lifetime Achievement Award
In Recognition of Performance and Outstanding Service to the Outdoor Field
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Digital Platform (2021): Florida Hikes (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Book (2021): Discovering the Florida Trail (with John Keatley)
2020
Sierra Club Florida Indigo Award
This award is for a writer/journalist who provides balanced reports on Florida’s environmental issues. The recipient may have developed a series of articles, a book, or a script around a specific issue impacting the environment or environmental policy or have consistently provided a voice for the environment of Florida.
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Outdoor Book (2020): Florida Trail Hikes (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Travel Article (2020): Gulf State Park (with John Keatley)
Society of American Travel Writers
Eastern Chapter Writing Awards
Second Place, Blog series: The Year of Apollo, TrailsandTravel.com
Honorable Mention, Book: Florida Trail Hikes (with John Keatley)
2019
Florida Trail Association Pathfinder Award
Presented to a member of the media who has promoted the goals and objectives of the Florida Trail Association and has highlighted the health benefits of backpacking, hiking or walking.
Society of American Travel Writers
Eastern Chapter Writing Awards
First Place, Book: Explorer’s Guide: North Florida & The Panhandle (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Book: 50 Hikes in Central Florida (with John Keatley)
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Third Place, Self-Promotion: TrailsandTravel.com (with John Keatley)
First Place, Outdoor Book: Explorer’s Guide: North Florida & The Panhandle (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Book: 50 Hikes in Central Florida (with John Keatley)
Third Place, Family Participation: See Rock City! (TrailsandTravel.com)
2018
Florida Trail Association Lifetime Achievement Award
At the Florida Trail Association Annual Meeting on April 7, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida, longtime FTA volunteer, author, and trail expert Sandra Friend was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Established in 2005, it is one of three major awards granted Florida Trail Association volunteers for their outstanding contributions to the Association and to the Florida Trail. Sandra previously received the Cornelia Burge Award, the top volunteer award at the time, in 2003 for her work launching the Florida Trail Footprint newsletter as a color membership magazine.
Outdoor Writers Association of America
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Blog: Backpacker Tips for Hurricane Prep, FloridaHikes.com
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Blog: Foraging for Mushrooms in Oregon, TrailsandTravel.com
Third Place, Blog: Backpacker Tips for Hurricane Prep, FloridaHikes.com
Second Place, Self-Promotion: FloridaHikes.com (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Book: The Florida Trail Guide (Third Edition) (with John Keatley)
Third Place, Outdoor Travel / Destination: Nature and Nostalgia at Camp Chowenwaw Park, FloridaHikes.com
2017
Society of American Travel Writers
Bill Muster Photo Competition
Silver Award, Action: Kayakers and Manatees at Silver Springs
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Magazine Feature: A Pony Tale, AAA Tidewater Traveler
Third Place, Self-Promotion: FloridaHikes.com (with John Keatley)
First Place, Outdoor Book: The Florida Trail: Florida’s National Scenic Trail (with John Keatley)
First Place, Outdoor Travel / Destination: A Pony Tale, AAA Tidewater Traveler
2016
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Outdoor Book: The Florida Trail Guide (Second Edition) (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Outdoor Book: Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Website: FloridaHikes.com
First Place, Outdoor Destination Story / Florida: Indian Key, An Unusual Ghost Town (John Keatley)
Third Place, Outdoor Destination Story / Florida: Spirit of Pennekamp
Third Place, Online Article: Tubing the Ichetucknee
Society of American Travel Writers
Eastern Chapter Writing and Photography Awards
Humor, 1st place: Spacefrog in the Lobster Pot
2015
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Website: FloridaHikes.com
Second Place, Outdoor Book: Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala (with John Keatley)
Second Place, Conservation Story: A Sandhill Crane Success Story
Third Place, Outdoor Travel Destination / Other: Riding an Icelandic horse at Skjaldarvík (John Keatley)
Society of American Travel Writers
Eastern Chapter Writing and Photography Awards
Humor, 3rd place: Hiker Trash (John Keatley)
2014
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Second Place, Outdoor Book: The Florida Trail Guide (with John Keatley)
Third Place, Website: FloridaHikes.com
Third Place, Outdoor Travel Destination / Florida: Touring Goodwood Museum in Tallahassee
Third Place, Outdoor Travel Destination / Other: Take a Load Off: Hospitality in Hot Springs, NC (with John Keatley)
2013
2013 Adventurer of the Year Award, Trail Dames
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Magazine Feature: Immersed in Nature, Filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus Captures Florida’s Soul (VIRES)
Third Place, Electronic Media: Jackson County Visitor’s Guide
Third Place, Website: FloridaHikes.com
Second Place, Outdoor Book: North Florida & the Florida Panhandle, An Explorer’s Guide
Second Place, Outdoor Travel/Destination Story: Circling Lake Okeechobee
Society of American Travel Writers
Eastern Chapter Writing and Photography Awards
Best collaborative blog, Buckettripper.com
Best online consumer-oriented travel article, Exploring the St. Johns River in Florida by Houseboat
2011
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Second Place, Photography: Airboating at Billie Swamp Safari
Second Place, Electronic Communications: Ocala National Forest website
Second Place, Website/App: Florida State Parks app
Third Place, Book: South Florida: An Explorer’s Guide
2010
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Third Place, Book: Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders
2009
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Third Place, Website: floridahikes.com
TripBase.com
Best walking / backpacking blog awards (worldwide), 9th place
Society of American Travel Writers
Atlantic-Caribbean Chapter Travel Writing and Photography Awards
Best photograph, humor, 2nd place, “Orlando for the birds”
Best photograph, action, honorable mention, “Launch of Expedition Headwaters”
2008
Society of American Travel Writers
President’s Cup, awarded for volunteer service in assisting with launching new websites for SATW
Society of American Travel Writers
SATW Atlantic-Caribbean Chapter Travel Writing and Photography awards
Best Magazine Article on U.S. Travel, 2nd place: “Michigan’s Keweenaw: Mines, Mountains, and Moose” (Pilot Getaways)
Best Blog Post, 3rd place: “A Walk with Angus Gholson”
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Second Place, Website: candidtravels.com
Third Place, Book: The Hiking Trails of Florida’s National Forests, Parks, and Preserves
2007
USDA Forest Service, Southeast Region
Regional Forester’s Honor Award for engaging volunteers through New Media
American Trails
Best Website, Trails and Tourism: floridahikes.com
2006
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Special Communications: The Footprint
Second Place, Special Communications: Exploring the Florida Trail
Second Place, Website: floridahikes.com
Third Place, Website: floridatrail.org
Second Place, Book: Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State
2005
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Website: floridatrail.org
Third Place, Book: The Florida Trail, The Official Hiking Guide
Third Place, Special Communications: Florida Trail media CD
Outdoor Writers Association of America
National Outdoor Book Award, Second Place: Along the Florida Trail
American Trails
Best Website, Trail Organization: floridatrail.org
2004
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
First Place, Book: Along the Florida Trail
Second Place, Book: 50 Hikes in South Florida
Third Place, Family Participation: Backpacking Myakka
2003
Florida Trail Association Cornelia Burge Volunteer Service Award
Recipient for redesigning the organizational newsletter, The Footprint, into a color magazine format, involving hundreds of hours of volunteer time over many months.
This award is presented at the FTA President’s discretion to an FTA member who has made extraordinary progress toward meeting the purposes and objectives of the FTA on a statewide basis. This award is considered the highest recognition for an FTA Member/Volunteer, and as such, this is limited to one recipient annually.
Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Excellence in Craft Awards
Second Place, Book: Sinkholes
Third Place, Book: 50 Hikes in Central Florida
Second Place, Special Communications: Florida Trail brochure
2001
National Science Teachers Association / Childrens Book Council
Outstanding Science Trade Book, students K-12: Earth’s Fiery Fury