Narrative Travel Writing Contest - Deadline January 15, 2014

Guidelines for the 2014 Narrative Travel Writing Contest


TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2014 Narrative Travel Writing Contest with a $500 first-place prize and no fee for entry.

The theme for this year's contest is very broad and in keeping with our editorial. We wish to explore the idea of travel as a way to not only leave behind your material and spiritual preconceptions, but to use the opportunity to open up to ideas, aesthetics, and rituals which you have internalized into your own life going forward. What did you learn during your travels and did this fundamentally transform your perception(s) of the world? Do you believe that you may have touched your hosts in ways which may have in some way transformed their views of the world as well, or is that presumptuous as a de facto "outsider" to their rituals and way of life? As always, we encourage you to approach the subject in the empathetic way in which you traveled and stayed in host countries and homes. Please weave these ideas implicitly into a narrative if this relates to one of your experiences.

We are not looking for destination pieces which describe in flowery "amazing" terms your experience, essays on the pros and cons of a postmodernist view of travel, 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 well-written 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


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


The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring travel writers from any location around the globe and of any nationality.
How to Enter

Submit an original and previously unpublished essay from 1,000 to 5,000 words. Supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format are welcome to illustrate the experience and are considered part of the essay submission. Please do not embed the photos for the travel essay in the .doc files.
To enter the Contest, attach your essay in Microsoft Word format or copy and paste it into an email as a last resort. Please include your the essay title, full name, complete postal address and phone number in both the email and Word document and add a brief bio if you so choose. Please type "2014 Narrative Travel Writing Essay Entry" in the subject description of the email and send the email to narrativewritingcontest@transitionsabroad.com.
The Contest begins April 1, 2013, and all entries must be received by January 15, 2014. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will require first-time Worldwide Electronic rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will reserve the right to reprint the story in a future publication. The writer may republish the unedited submission as desired six months after initial publication on TransitionsAbroad.com.
Editors of TransitionsAbroad.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria:
Sensitivity to the people and culture being described
Ability to engage the reader
Literary quality
Rich photographic/video illustrations
Winners will be notified by phone, mail, or email by January 22, 2014 for publication in March due to the time required for all writers spanning the globe to send in Agreements and payments to be cashed.
Contest Terms

There is no entry fee required for submissions.
Decisions of the judges are final.
Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible email or for any computer-related, online, or technical malfunctions that may occur in the submission process.
Submissions are considered void if illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft.
Submissions should be previously unpublished, either in print or on the Web.
Submissions will be considered made by an authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners—along with any others accepted for publication—will be paid by Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. either by check or Paypal as preferred by the author.
All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.