Today on GoAbroad, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Next Great Travel Writers Contest! After countless hours spent pouring over the hundreds of entries that came in, we bring you our top three winners and selection of honorable mentions. This was an arduous task for our editors, as so many amazing submissions were received. All winners and honorable mentions will have their articles published on GoAbroad and featured across GoAbroad’s social media platforms.
Because so many entries were received, GoAbroad will also be publishing many of those features. So even if you don’t see your name on the list below, be on the lookout for an email from us regarding how we’d like to feature you on GoAbroad.
Without further ado, your 2013 Next Great Travel Writer Winners are:
Grand Prize Winner – $1000*
Losing Words and Finding Stories in Africa by Lauren Hober
Convenience. Need. Want.
If you repeat any word enough times it becomes foreign, unfamiliar.
You can’t come here with your first-world vocabulary. You can’t come “needing” things you merely want and “wanting” things you’ll never need. You definitely can’t come here expecting things will be conveniently worked out and planned into your everyday life.
Second Place Winner – $200*
Mint Tea in Marrakech by Aleksandra Hogendorf
A day spent wandering around Marrakech is a day studded with ritual in the form of beverage.
The morning cup of cinnamon coffee, a spicy brew to fuel the long hours ahead of labyrinthine streets and souk treasures. The avocado smoothie at noon, sweet and creamy- the best Moroccan milkshake.
Third Place Winner – $100*
Meditations From the Back of a Rickshaw by Dominic Fusco
Living in the daily swarm of New Delhi, where chaos is the rule and working Wi-Fi the exception, every traveler can hold onto one golden constant: you will never forget your first rickshaw.
Auto rickshaws are the most convenient method of traversing New Delhi’s expansive metropolis. For what is the equivalent of just a few American dollars, you can carriage door to door from the ancient ruins of the South to the colonial quarters of the North and just about everywhere in between.
Honorable Mentions**
- Amy Dresser – 12 Months in Scotland: A “Top 10” List with a Twist
- Brendan Corrigan – More Than Words – Colombia’s Useful to Know Sign Language
- Greg Lewry – Guidebook with a Twist: Mexico City
- Helen Moat – A Passport to Britain
- Helen Moat – Hitler’s Holiday Camp
- Jessica Geraci – Kava: The Taste of Island Life
- Kristina Faulkner – More than Strudel and Schnitzel: An Intimate Encounter with Austrian Cuisine
- Maureen Fox – Fado and Flamenco: Storytelling in Portugal and Spain
- Megan Jula – Hidden in Hiroshima
- Ruth Praskins – Bathing in Sacred Waters
- Sue Avison – Muzungu Meets the Maasai
- William Hoversen – Mount Nemrut, Turkey
*Please note that in addition to the cash prizes (sent via PayPal), winners will also recieve awards as outlined in the Travel Writer Contest Guidelines
**All Honorable Mentions will have their articles featured on GoAbroad in the coming days/weeks. GoAbroad will be in touch via email to let you know when these have gone live.