Writing Contests
Trazzler helps would-be travelers answer the question "Where should I go?" Trazzlers meander through a world of trips—hand-picked, concise, compellingly written slices of life that pull the reader into a real experience.At any given time, we typically host several travel writing contests. Some are topical, while others are regional. Enter the contests that best match your personal experiences. Writers can win writer-in-residence contracts and 50 nights at Fairmont's 50+ luxury hotels all over the world in the On the Road Writing Contest, trips to Tonga (the archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean) in the Smart Travel Writing Contest, vacation packages in the Mendocino Writing Contest, and a weekend trip to Mt. Rainier National Park in the Mt. Rainier Writing Contest.
When you enter a contest, get cinematic and zoom in: on a particular moment, action, experience, observation, insight, sensation—sound, sight, taste, smell, feeling—transport us to this place through your writing. Our travel-writing philosophy is different from anything else out there, so be sure to study our writing guide and ramble through our editor's favorites before entering.
Current Travel Writing Contests:
Past Writing Contest Themes and Winners
Bend Writing Contest:
People's Choice Grand Prize: Sabrina McCarley
People's Choice 1st Runner Up: Melody Ip
People's Choice 2nd Runner Up: Ginger Dehlinger
Editors' Choice Prizes: Caitlin Dwyer and Rene Jasper
Stowe Writing Contest:
Editors' Choice Prize: Marie Elena Martinez (An error prevents the contest entry overlay from showing up on this trip)
People's Choice Grand Prize: Michael Gosselin
People's Choice Second Prize: Natalie Stern
People's Choice Third Prize: Paul Cavaliere
Louisville Writing Contest:
People's Choice Grand Prize: Tawnya Henry. Editorial Prize: Coy Glass.
San Francisco Writing Contest: City Flavor
Editors' Choice: Foodie Temples: Sarah Barker;
Love in the City:
Tess Link;
LGBT Icons:
James Mulcahy;
Neighborhood Spots: Nick Rowlands;
Only in SF: Traci Hui
People's Choice: Foodie Temples: Mary Bonomo;
LGBT Icons: Kayla Albert;
Neighborhood Spots: Edna Zhou;
Only in SF: Rebecca Feinberg;
Love in the City: Kim Repp
Hawaii Writing Contest: Island
People's Choice Award Winner: Adrienne Wilson
Editors' Choice Award Winner: Heather McNeill
Editors' Choice Runners-Up:
Kevin Capp,
Rich Carriero,
Laci Chiodo,
Karen Dion,
Robert Isenberg,
Lauren Ladoceour,
Rachel Lebeaux ,
Breena Kerr,
James Mulcahy,
Anne Scalamonti.
Summer #NYCGO Writing Contest: Oasis
Grand Prize: Stephen Bramucci, Walking in the Footsteps of Pirates in Ambodifototra, Madagascar
9 Runners Up:
Courtney Scott,
Alex Dweezy Dwyer,
Sandra Foster Lovas,
Paul Justin Cox III,
Kate Sommers,
Marie Elena Martinez,
Stephanie Fine Sasse,
Paul Koning, and
Traci Hui
Editors' Choice Awards: Craig Bridger,
Ethan Gelber,
Thalia Kwok, and
Karen Dion
May/June 2009 Writing Contest: Work of Art
Kendra Hoover,
Julie Hammonds,
David Chachere,
Kimberly Wadsworth,
Anne-Sophie Redisch,
Sami,
Hrvoje Karalic,
Gladys Glover,
Yoshi Salaverry, and
Beth Green.
April 2009 Writing Contest: Local Institution
Ifang Hsieh,
Simon Gray,
Amiee Maxwell,
Jessica Stout,
Diana Springfield,
Christina Tse,
Adam Bailey,
Marian Liou Black,
Alicia Miller,
Brian Lauvray,
Peter Dorrien Traisci,
Doug Mack, and
Kevin Michael Capp.
This month something magical happened. We couldn't bear to limit ourselves to just a few winners, so we went for broke:
Winners: Katie Hammel, Bartley J. D'Alfonso, Shara Johnson, Morgan Seag, Chris Ferro, Karl Ritzler, Melinda Barlow, Jodi Tidwell, Daniel Djang, and Tessa James.
Freelancers: Cheri Lucas, Adrienne C Wilson, Ashwin Sodhi, Rachel Zagrocki Pommier, Christina Brzustoski, and Lavanya Kilaru.
January 2009 Writing Contest: On the Beaten Path
Winners: Cindy Aitken, Matt Maggi, and Craig Nelson
Freelancers: Courtney Scott, Elliott Gaines, Nicholas Rowlands, Beckie Leung, Eamon Downes, Muon Van, Denise Seith, Marilyn L. Geary, Corinne Vail, and Lori Wilson.
December 2008 Writing Contest: Cold
Winners: Jeff Jenkins, Paul Koning, Tai Kuncio, and Greg Thomas
November 2008 Writing Contest: Urban Enigmas
Winners: Gareth Thornton and Amanda Scotese
October 2008 Writing Contest: Mom and Pops
Winner: Tina Jett