Update: The winning trip by Stephen Bramucci was announced on September 14, 2009. Read what Steve wrote during his writer-in-residency in New York City and on the Trazzler blog as he prepared for the trip.
Click here to see the contest semifinalists and Editors' Choice winners.
Theme: Oasis
Oasis
1 n. a fertile or green area in an arid region (as a desert).2 n. something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009.)
Modern life can often feel like a trek through the desert. For this contest, we want you to write about a place that not only satisfies your thirst for a change of scenery, but goes beyond this, breaking the spell of everyday existence and providing the "refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast" that we all crave, especially in the summer. We're leaving this theme very open to interpretation. Your oasis might be an urban park, a meal in a restaurant that you'll replay for years, a swimming hole on a hot summer day, a romantic hideaway that you return to again and again, a museum where you lose yourself for hours... really any place of extreme beauty, culture, flavor, respite, or relaxation. > Examples
Our grand prize winner will win a two-week writer's residency in the heart of New York City's own urban oasis, where he or she will discover (and write about) one of the world's great cities.
When you sit down to write, 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 creating your first trips.
How to Enter
1. Sign up for Trazzler (be sure to provide a valid email address, even if you use Facebook Connect).2. Submit your entry between July 22, 2009, 12 noon EDT and Monday, August 17, 2009, 11:59 am by clicking on "Write a Trip" and filling out the required fields.
3. Be sure to click the "Trazzler #NYCGO Contest Entry" checkbox at the bottom of the page when you submit your trip.
4. After your trip is posted, you will be invited to share your trip on Twitter and Facebook. If you have questions or problems, you can interact with our team in the help forum.
About Us
nycgo.com is the official source of daily information about all there is to do and see in New York City, for residents and visitors alike.Trazzler provides a unique way to explore travel with writing that inspires and smart recommendations.
JetBlue offers flights to more than 50 destinations, with free TV, snacks, award winning service, and the most legroom in coach.
AKA offers upscale residences with the style and service of an intimate hotel and the comfort of an elegant residence.
We're Awarding 14 Writing Contracts
1 Grand Prize: $10,000 contract to be a writer in residence in New York City for two weeks to write 30 Trazzler trips covering the five boroughs of New York City. Hotel accommodations (14 nights) provided by AKA luxury hotel residences. Round-trip airfare provided by JetBlue.9 Runners Up: $250 contracts to write 10 Trazzler trips.
4 Editors' Choice: $500 contracts to write 15 Trazzler trips.
Here's How it Works
Round One: Enter Your TripContest submission start date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 12 noon EDT
Contest submission end date: Monday, August 17, 2009, 11:59 am EDT
Judging period begins: Monday, August 17, 2009, 12 noon EDT
Judging period ends: Monday, August 31, 2009, 7:59 pm EDT
Round Two: Wishlisting of Semifinalist Trips
Starts: Monday, August 31, 2009, 8:00 pm EDT
Ends: Monday, September 14, 2009, 7:59 pm EDT
If your trip page has the text "Trazzler #NYCGO Contest Semifinalist" immediately following the trip description—on or before Monday, August 31, 2009—then you are a semifinalist and can participate in Round Two. The 10 trips that are wishlisted the most between Monday, August 31, 2009 (8:00 pm EDT) and Monday, September 14, 2009 (7:59 pm EDT) will pass to Round Three. All entries accepted into Round Two will appear, ranked by the number of "wishlistings" on the semifinals page starting Monday, August 31, 8:00 pm EDT. Strategies for wishlisting. The remaining Round Two trips will still be eligible for the four Editor's Choice Awards.
Round Three: Judging and Awarding of PrizesJudging period begins: Monday, September 15, 2009
Judging period ends: Friday, September 18, 2009
A Jury will choose a Grand Prize Winner from 10 finalists
Winners Announced: Week of Monday, September 21, 2009
The winners will be announced here and here:
http://www.trazzler.com http://blog.trazzler.com @trazzler on TwitterRules: The Basics
For a full set of official rules, click here.
No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law.
Must be a resident of the continental United States (excluding Arizona)
Only trips created and submitted between the dates of July 22, 2009 to August 17, 2009 will be eligible.
You must be 18 years old by July 22, 2009 to enter.
Only one entry per person is permitted.
Entries must be 160 words or less.
Your trip must be your own original work, unpublished, and cannot infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights.
By submitting an entry and entering the contest, you grant Trazzler and nycgo.com a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free right to publish and distribute your entry for their promotional purposes.
Trazzler's past contest entrants, freelancers, and winners are eligible to enter.
A valid email address is required for prize notification.
This is a skill contest. The jury will award the Grand Prize based on the quality of the writing and its adherence to the contest theme and Trazzler's unique style.
Providing a photo is not a requirement for entry and will not affect the jury's final decision. Trazzler may provide photos for trips submitted without a photo (or with an inadequate photo) or provide a general image as a placeholder.
