Here's an update on the 2011 Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship contest.
Since May 1, 2011, our 5th annual scholarship has attracted more than 5,500 applicants. Each blog was read by interns from the English and Journalism departments at New York University, Elon College, Hofstra University and the University of Illinois, a team of readers from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), as well as Family Travel Forum editors to select the best of the best.
The judges have almost completed selecting their quarter finalists, whose status is being posted online.
What happens next in the Scholarship Judging?
From this Quarter Finalist work, a group of semi-finalists is also being chosen and published to the site. This process of scoring and publishing work will continue through mid-October. To see how you've done so far, log in and visit your My Info page under the "MyTravels" tab.
After that, the last round of finalists will be sent to the senior judging team at SATW, Travel's Most Trusted Voices. SATW promotes responsible journalism and encourages the conservation and preservation of travel resources worldwide. Their team of professional writers, editors and photographers will select the winners of the 2011 FTF Teen Travel Writing Contest in the Best Travel Blog, Best Photography and Best Video categories.
How did we make our picks?
Because we had so many great stories, the judging was simply a process of elimination. First, we disqualified a surprising number of fine blogs from advancing because they didn't have the required photo, video or artwork. We didn't look for perfect grammar or perfect spelling, and we rarely found it. 🙂
Instead, we listened to your stories and what your travels meant to you. The very best travel blogs gave us a strong sense of place, practical details, of why this particular period in your life was special, and what it might mean to other young travelers.
If your travel tale is selected as a quarter or semi finalist, congratulations! Your work will be in approximately the top 15% of all the travel blogs submitted. We encourage you to share your blogs with friends and families, so they can enjoy and comment on it.
Do you need to do anything?
If your work advances to the Finals, you will be contacted in a separate email to request the paperwork required for your blog to be sent to the last judges. On or about October 18, 2011, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place blogs, those chosen for Honorable Mention, and the best work in photography and video will be announced and will be posted on the site.
Again, thanks for sharing your stories with us and good luck to all of you!
The Family Travel Forum Judges
P.S. If you have any questions, please use the Contact Us page or Facebook to get in touch.
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Great advise and said in very simple language in order for a range of readers to process. I must add that the symptoms and solutions are equally as important in adults who suffer from abdominal illness.
the family market is indeed very important and very lucrative. Focosing on the Family market is what Wal-Mart made big.
Thank you for posting this comparison. I've been looking for something like this but so far I've found only comparisons of individual plans not family ones. This will help me a lot while I'm budgeting for next year's gap holidays.
This place is awesome. We have delivered baby equipment rentals there a couple times and love it. It seems to work great for families traveling with young kids because the age range is usually between 2-8 years old when we deliver. Great beach and location. Thumbs up!
I am planning for a visit of Columbia …. Lets see When i wills be able to visit the same scene..
Orlando, is a perfect place for the kids to explore about Disneyland. A good feature post.
Love your brother in law! Would love to drive cross country with him and his brood!
Another great travel search engine is http://www.travelmarket.com/ it gives you a list of the cheapest flights and hotels. Try it and see what you think.
Good tips all – they sure beat my brother-in-laws advice for dealing with kids on long haul drives, which was, "Tie em to the roof!"
I too would be interested in viewing a list of apartments for the budget traveler.
Great article. I always, and still believe, if you feed a cold you will starve the fever.
I through my own experience, would advise against air travel with any ear, throat or nose infections. It is difficult to move through the change of air pressure, without adding a cold to it.
I have been deeply admired by your blog and its posts. I am really glad to read it and being able to share my thoughts on it. I want to use this opportunity to say that I really love this blog. It is an amazing resource of information for my working. Thank you so much.
It's a shame more airports don't take steps to make travel for families more convenient and fun. I'm sure they are focused on the core income stream of business travelers, which makes sense. Still, why not try and appeal to both?
really a great info which much more useful to lot of them
I would like to visit every day, thanks for your sharing.
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really a great info which much more useful to lot of them
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That place totally awesome. A perfect place for family vacation. That waterfall really make me jealous. It shall be refreshing to soak up under that waterfall. The beach also really charming, I wonder how much it cost to go there?
I want to go their. Really that is a great place.
The post is very nicely written and it contains many useful facts. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement. Thanks for sharing with us.
I like the way of your writing.!
You are so right Banfos, thanks for the heads up. Mystic CT is quite remarkable and has much to see besides the aquarium. We have made the change.
Thank you for such a fantastic blog. Where else could anyone get that kind of info written in such a perfect way? I have a presentation that I am presently working on, and I have been on the look out for such information.
Mystic Seaport is a world-renowned maritime history museum. It is not an aquarium as stated in your article.
Jennifer:
There are enough fun activities for the whole family to spend either as a day trip or overnight.
I wish I could have went to the play lab – sounds like Fisher Price is really doing a great job of keeping up with today's trends – and of course smart kids! Great update!
Wow…cannot wait to have a visit there!
Well, I think kids can enjoy some special joys there….
hey this is a great source for my cousin…..
How long would you allow for this excursion? It sounds like a fun side trip while visiting San Diego.
thanks for the <a href="http://ecoblublog.com/2011/02/10/ecotourism-green-vacations">eco vacation</a> ideas. don't know if i'll be able to afford overseas yet but always good to know the options 🙂
Gosh, I’ve been looking about this specific topic for about an hour, glad i found it in your website!
It is bound to be more scenic than the A1,
Nice post,
Well, I love your post. Thanks to create this article.
Really? That idea sounds pretty amazing….
Wow..I really cannot wait to make a trip to Italy…sounds very great!
hey thanx for the top 10 resorts…I will Surely look forward during my last visit.
When you mentioned "flashes" that people were starting to see, I first thought that you were gonna say that you were experiencing the northern lights! But what amazing "flashes" you did see! The whales are one of my favorite parts of Alaska.
Nice points but my baby is too much stubborn.
You gave great points here. I found nearly all people agree with your blog.
Just wanted to drop a comment and say I am new to your blog and really like what I am reading. Thanks for the great content. Look forward to coming back for more.
Holidays are managed mostly for kids. They get know new places with different weather and cultural attractions. It is good.
wow, this would be a great journey..
I liked the whole post and bookmarked the blog. Hopefully, I will get more helpful information from this blog. Thanks.
That's interesting. I just got it very informative..
It is admirable that this hotel employs locals and also promoting the local culture. This is something that is lacking in many big name hotels today.
Sounds very romantic. I was thinking about a trip with family for a long time but when I landed here my problem is solved.