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Narrative Travel Writing Contest
From "Accident on the Buffalo Trail."
Photo ©Michael Benanav.
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From "Accident on the Buffalo Trail."
Photo ©Michael Benanav.
Winners Present and Past
Go to the 2011 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Guidelines
| Congratulations to the 2010 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Winners! | |
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2010 Theme: The theme for this year's contest related to the core mission of Transitions Abroad, which has always been centered on educational, responsible, and cultural immersion travel. We were looking for pieces which reflected a respect for what you have learned from native peoples, their cultures, and/or their unique relationship to the land—and how you put your new awareness and empathy into action. The focus of the travel narrative was to remain squarely on the people and land which had in some ways transformed your vision of the world and had led you to new realizations or epiphanies which may have inspired you to become a volunteer, a teacher, a writer, an aid worker, a foreign service officer, an international nomad, or any other activity influenced by your experiences abroad. Editor's Note: We were very pleased to receive well over 150 submissions during the past year, many of which were of an unusually high quality. We decided that it would only make sense to publish as many worthy winners as we could (in alphabetical order by title.) The travel writing articles were truly a very diverse and eclectic embarrassment of riches covering various aspects and interpretations of the theme described above and were sent to us from all corners of the globe. The travel writing contest pieces covered off-the-beaten-path regions within Bolivia, Cuba, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Laos, Mexico, The Czech Republic, The Gambia, Tunisia, and the U.S. Thank you to all who sent in contest submissions which will all be included in the coming webzine. |
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| 1st Place | Accident on the Buffalo Trail by Michael Benanav |
| 2nd Place (tie) | Monks, Rice, War by Jann Huizenga |
| 2nd Place (tie) | The Collision by Tim Leffel |
| 2nd Place (tie) | A Land About Stories by Elizabet Wendt |
| 3rd Place (tie) | ¡Oye Niña! by Seble Gameda |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Strangers in Czech Lands by Pearl Harris |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Finding Joy in Sucre by Mark Kennedy |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Finding Refuge in Giving by Alyssa Martino |
| 3rd Place (tie) | A Return to the Smallest Country in Africa by Miranda Paul |
| 3rd Place (tie) | My Heart's Home by Sarah Seaton |
| 2009 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Winners | |
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2009 Theme: Professionals, freelancers and other talented travel writers were invited to write a travel narrative relating to the specific theme for this year's contest: "Travel in a Dangerous World: Myths and Realities." Many of our readers are independent travelers who are looking for travel ideas which take them to areas unspoiled by mass tourism, where they may meet and respectfully interact with local people who have not yet become cynical about the foreigners who come into their homes or lands. We are looking for stories written by authors who have taken a risk—or been told that they were taking a risk—when traveling overseas. How did you manage to stay safe even while engaging in a form of adventure travel which often involves finding oneself in remote areas of the world or in off-the-beaten-track areas of known cities and regions? One implicit question the articles should address is whether the world (at least that part of the world in which you have traveled) is truly more dangerous than it has ever been, or did you discover that governments and/or mass commercial media have exaggerated the threats for their own motives? |
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| 1st Place | Ancient Wonders and Desert Hallucinations by Victor Borg |
| 2nd Place | Beirut in the Baltics: Into the Wild Wild East of "Europe Minor" by John M. Edwards |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Aluminum Recollections by Elizabeth Bernays |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Armies and Allah in the Vale of Kashmir by Mark Hawthorne |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Brave Eyes, Laughing Hearts: My First Encounter with Yemen by Sarah Shourd |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Danger About Us by Zachary Haynes |
| Runner-Up | Dangerous Love in India by Lucinda Tikwart |
| Runner-Up | Guatemala City: The Aftermath of Civil War by Veronica Hackethal |
| Runner-Up | Long Live Pakistan By Sonya Spry |
| Runner-Up | Mouth to Mouth by Kristianne Huntsberger |
| Runner-Up | Pokhara Valley, Nepal by Donna J. Moore |
| Runner-Up | Road….what road? A shortcut from Ganzi to Litang, China by Jules Bass |
| Runner-Up | Saffron and Nukes by Nancy Penrose |
| Runner-Up | The Brandy Making Bee Keeper of Bosnia by John Webster |
| 2008 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Winners | |
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2008 Theme: Professionals, freelancers and other talented travel writers were invited to write a travel narrative relating to the intrinsic educational aspects of meaningful travel. We are looking for evocative and engaging writing in which sensitive immersion in the country, the people, the food, the land, the art, the rituals, and the culture in general play the leading role in the writer's self-discovery and enlightenment. We were were looking for a well-crafted and inspirational story which should appeal to those who have traveled independently overseas with open minds, sensitive souls, and empathetic imaginations. The aesthetic and intellectual pleasures of discovery are of more interest to us in this year's travel writing contest than the sense of personal or cultural guilt over the many horrific situations to be found worldwide and covered in-depth in other areas of TransitionsAbroad.com. |
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| 1st Place | Education from the Streets of Giza by Alexander Breimann |
| 2nd Place (tie) | The Aesthetics of the Empty Landscape by Alan Drop |
| 2nd Place (tie) | Pray that the Road is Long by Luke Rodehorst |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Coexistence by Claire Morris |
| 3rd Place (tie) | Take me to America by Elizabeth Sharpe |
| Runner-Up | An Authentic Hill Tribe Experience by Laurie Weed |
| Runner-Up | The Buddha, the Dharma & the Sangha by Dorothee Lang |
| Runner-Up | Coffee: A Universal Language by Jenny Williams |
| Runner-Up | Feasting in Fez by Beebe Bahrami |
| Runner-Up | Finding Roots in a Foreign Land by Hassan Awaisi |
| Runner-Up | From an Ethnic to an African Island by Sandra Jackson-Opoku |
| Runner-Up | The Happiest Country by Cynthia Wolterding |
| Runner-Up | Hut of the Wanderer by William Orem |
| Runner-Up | Life and Death in Tana Toraja by Chris Dunham |
| Runner-Up | Market Hopping Around Lagos by Lola Akinmade |
| 2007 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Winners | |
| 2007 Theme: Professionals, freelancers and aspiring travel writers were invited to write articles which describe a moment or moments which capture the sense of immersion in another culture. Whether as a traveler, a student, a volunteer, or as one living and working in another land, there are often moments when one loses a sense of one's own nationality and becomes aware of a common connection with the native people and their culture. Often the feeling of unity or empathy is brief and may just as suddenly transform into the realization of one's inescapable role as an outsider. We invite you to describe such moment(s) in a narrative where the people are the primary subject and the "I" disappears into the background. | |
| 1st Place | The Ultimate Journey: A Trip to the Heart of Tibet by Matthew Bowden |
| 2nd Place | A Question of Tradition by Kim Foote |
| 3rd Place | The Music and Rhythm of the Cuban Spirit by Darin Cook |
| 2006 Narrative Travel Writing Contest Winners | |
| 2006 Theme: Professionals, freelancers and aspiring travel writers were invited to write articles which describe a life-changing travel experience abroad. One of the results of cultural immersion travel abroad is the experience of "epiphanies" which change one's perceptions of the world, of others, and of oneself. We urge you to translate one of those moments or series of moments into a narrative which might offer others inspiration to take the plunge overseas. | |
| 1st Place | An Exorcism in Zambia by Guy William Volk |
| 2nd Place | Theater Street by Dominique Channell |
| 3rd Place (tie) | The Visit by Laura Gomel |
| 3rd Place (tie) | A Report from Northern Uganda by Kristin Anne Fleshner |
| Guidelines for the 2011 Narrative Travel Writing Contest |
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TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2011 Narrative Travel Writing Contest with a $500 first-place prize and no fee for entry. Professionals, freelancers, and aspiring travel writers are invited to write articles which describe how traveling in a slower manner and adapting to the space and time of natives has deepened your experience of both the people and the destination. One of the results of a slower form of travel is the experience of "epiphanies" which change one's perceptions of the world, of others, and of oneself. We urge you to translate one of those moments or series of moments into a narrative, which will convey this view to many who still tend to see travel as a way to "do" as many countries, cities, and continents in the world as possible—as if travel was some form of competition or consumption. Rather, Transitions Abroad has always believed that more experienced travelers and travel writers seek to engage more deeply in a destination by staying for a longer period of time and thereby immerse themselves in the culture and homes they are fortunate enough to visit. Learning to ask questions, share stories sad and humorous, cook, trek, learn a craft, work, volunteer, and participate in other daily activities or rituals is one way to deepen the travel experience and transform it into a two-way street in the process. The Slow Food movement born in Italy and its offshoots are one such manifestation of the urge now felt by many more travelers to participate in the daily lives of the host community and not as consumers of their culture and land. We are not looking for destination pieces which describe in flowery "amazing" terms your experience, nor are we looking for travelogues or blog-like posts which are too overly personal and self-involved to necessarily resonate with others on their own paths of discovery. We are looking for inspirational pieces which will lead others to experience the sense of engagement as a global citizen. Accompanying photos which enhance the narrative are highly preferred. Photojournalistic essays or accompanying videos will also be considered, and humor is appreciated where appropriate. Please include an optional bio of 1-3 sentences which reference your websites, blogs, books, and contact information in the body of the submission. TransitionsAbroad.com will publish the top three winners' entries as well as those of the selected runner-ups. Notification of your participation in the contest via Twitter, Facebook, or other social networking sites would be appreciated (see our links/buttons at the top and bottom of this page). |
| Contest Prizes |
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In this year's Narrative Travel Writing Contest, the first-place winner’s entry will receive $500 (USD), the second-place winning entry $150, and the third-place winner $100. Any other articles selected as runner-ups will receive a $50 payment. |
| Who is Eligible |
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The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring travel writers from any location around the globe. |
| How to Enter |
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| Contest Terms |
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