Today marks the start of our 5th annual WanderWomen Write Travel Writing Contest. For the next 3 months, we’ll be accepting stories from women around the globe. Some entries will be from established writers who make all or part of their income from their craft. The vast majority will be from beginning writers or wannabes, women who are eager to tell a story but don’t have a proper outlet to do so.
The entries will include a wide range of talent, from the spectacular, laugh-out-loud or make-my-cry variety to the, well, the ones that need some work. But all entries are welcomed.
So what’s the purpose of the contest?
Well, this site is meant to provide a sense of community. A refuge. A place where women can find inspiration and information for their travels. For years (since 1993 to be exact), I have been teaching workshops for women – encouraging them to travel, be it independently, with friends or in a group. I’ve been providing safety tips, guidance and really, just an ounce of courage to push women just far enough out of the nest so that they could take a journey they might have been too fearful to otherwise take. Local workshops could only get my message out to so many women at a time (15 to 20) but the website, I knew, could reach far more.
In a sense, our travel writing contest does something similar. For all those budding writers who don’t know where to turn to get published, to get exposure or to get a sense of how their writing compares with others, the contest is meant to get the creative juices flowing, provide a goal (December 31) and, hopefully, an ounce of courage and motivation (usually through the prizes we offer) to get women to take the time to sit down and write.
Last year we received approximately 400 entries. We now have sponsors so that we can afford to pay an editor to read through the stories (yes, early on I read all the entries!) as well as to provide a little thank you gift for our judges, too.
We’re thrilled this year to have Expedia as our main sponsor, providing both the Grand Prize (a 7-night stay at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punt Cana, Dominican Republic) as well as 4 category prizes ($300 in Expedia vouchers).
Through this contest, I hope that you’re able to Find Your Story. Not only so you have a chance to win one of these great prizes but so that you can find deeper meaning in your travels. What IS it that motivates you to leave the comfort of your home and moves you once at your destination? Tell is your story.
You can use this link to get started now or read more about the contest here.
Travel Well,
Beth
Related links:
See all travel writing contest info.
See how to submit your travel story.
See the contest’s Frequently Asked Questions page.
See our panel of wonderful judges.
See past winners.
See Wanderlust and Lipstick’s Terms and Conditions.
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