Sponsored Listings:
Do you dream of being a travel writer? Then the New Year might just bring your big break because Travelex and Penguin Books UK are running an awesome competition to find The Next Great Travel Writer 2017. It’s not always easy to get your work noticed, but they’re offering the chance to win a one-on-one session with a Penguin editor along with £1,500 in prize money! Please note the competition is only open to UK residents.
The essay topic:
Tell us about a travel experience unlike any other
This could be the story of your greatest adventure, but it could equally be about a trip that went horribly wrong. Some of the best travel writing is filled with funny anecdotes and lessons learnt from tales of misfortune!
You can tell this story any way you like, but it must not have been published elsewhere. Once you’ve written your story, simply follow this link and submit your entry using the online form: https://www.travelex.co.uk/travelex-hub/competitions/next-great-travel-writer-2017
The winner will be chosen by 5 top judges in the world of travel and publishing. The schedule is as follows:
Competition closes
Shortlist created
Judges decision
Winners announced
The Prize
One lucky winner will be given:
- A session with a Penguin editor & £1,500: The winner will receive a £1,500 cash prize and have their entry reviewed by a Penguin editor for feedback and advice on how to get published.
- An additional bonus £500 prize for the best entry by a current university or college student (so if you’re a student make sure you let them know!)
- Travelex are also going to give the general public the chance to vote for their favourite travel writer as well. Using the powers of social media, they will award the person who, from the judges shortlist, gets the most tweets supporting their entry. Tweets should include their unique hash tag, the Twitter handlle @TravelexUK and the hashtag #NGTW. The prize is a set of beautiful Penguin books!
The Technical bits:
- The piece needs to be unique to the competition, which means you can’t submit something you’ve published elsewhere.
- They are looking to showcase the talent of aspiring writers, young or old. If you’re already paid to write about travel, then this isn’t the competition for you.
- You can only enter once – so take your time before submitting your entry.
- Entries close at 11:59PM (GMT) on 5th February 2017.
- You have to be over 18 and a UK resident to enter (exc. Northern Ireland)
- Students can win the main prize. However, if a student is awarded the main prize, then the runner up in the student category, as decided by the judges, will be awarded the student prize
My Travel Writing Tips
If you need some pointers, here’s what I look out for in great travel writing:
Grab my attention in the opening paragraph
Don’t tell your story in sequence and save the best bit till the closing paragraph. Have me hooked from the opening few sentences and I’ll keep reading.
Use Humour
For me the best stories are told with a sense of humour. I remember reading Bill Bryson “Down Under” on the plane to Australia and dying with laughter. Make me laugh and I’ll remember your story.
Entertain me, don’t try to impress me
Sometimes I see writers littering their essays with flowery language and long verbose sentences just to try and impress the reader. In fact this has the opposite effect. Your essay isn’t a place to demonstrate your knowledge of the dictionary – it’s meant to transport me to the destination. Keep things simple for maximum effect.
Write in the first person
I care about personal stories. The more personal it is, the more I can relate. Write in the first person, either in the past the past tense or the present tense, although I do find the present tense seems to make things seem more real. Try to come up with a narrative thread that will run throughout the piece, linking the beginning and end; a point you are making.
Good luck!
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Source: pommietravels.com