Young Travel Writers Scholarship

Are you wandering the world or intending to do so? Have you just returned from the best adventure ever?  Back from a semester abroad or a volunteer vacation? Or just gone somewhere -- near or far -- that opened up new ways of looking at the world?  We want to hear about it.

The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), a non-profit organization that promotes responsible journalism and encourages the conservation and preservation of travel resources worldwide, is offering a scholarship to encourage young writers to share their travel experiences in words and images. travelBIGO.com is proud to host this effort.

The rules of the Young Travel Writers Scholarship are simple: Submit your blog about where you went and what it meant to you, what worked and what didn't work, what you learned from the trip, or how it changed you. Bring our community of travelers into the world you visited. It can be funny, serious, contemplative, whatever... as well as informative.

The top winner will receive a cash award. Three finalists will win honorable mention and a travel prize. All submissions will be published on Family Travel Forum's travelBIGO.com, the site for the Before I Get Old crowd.

Please read the Rules below carefully to ensure eligibility. Good Luck!

Awards

• ►First Place: $150
• ►Honorable Mentions: Travel Prize

All winners will receive a Certificate of Commendation and be published on the travelBIGO.com website.

Rules

Eligibility for Young Travel Writers Scholarship

• ►All applicants must sign up for travelBIGO.com community prior to submitting a blog
• ►Applications will be accepted between April 1, 2010 and May 2, 2010.
• ►The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2010.
• ►Applicants must be ages 18-26 as of May 2, 2010. 

Submission Requirements for Young Travel Writers Scholarship

• ►Blogs must be no more than 1500 words in length.
• ►Entries must include text and be illustrated by at least one photo, digital artwork or video.
• ►Blogs must include practical details about your travels so that others can choose to follow in your footsteps. Details may include names of resorts, hotels or cruise ships, the local beach, organized volunteer and student tour programs, URLs for places you went, etc.
• ►Entries must be submitted online using the "New Article" link found on user's MyDashboard. After registering for this site, you can use your login credentials to access MyDashboard (in the login box) and begin posting your blog at New Article. Please use the editing tools provided to make paragraph breaks or add punctuation, and to upload your photos and/or video.
• ►All applications must be received no later than 11:59pm EST on May 2, 2010.
• ►Your essay must be your original creation and must not have been previously published.
• ►Multiple submissions are allowed.

Judging the Young Travel Writers Scholarship

Submissions will be judged on originality, quality of expression, and a sense of place. A panel of esteemed professional writers and editors from the Society of American Travel Writers will make the final selection of winners.

All applicants will be contacted by email when the Judges have completed selecting the winner and honorable mentions. Please update your online Account Info if your email address changes during the scholarship period.

The Young Travel Writers Scholarship Winners

If you are not contacted and wish to view the winning entries, please visit travelBIGO.com after May 17, 2010 when the winner and honorable mention essays will be announced.

Applications for the fourth Teen Travel Writing Scholarship will be open on May 3, 2010.