After hosting five Teen Travel Writers Scholarship contests with the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Family Travel Forum and SATW decided this winter to invite writers, ages 18-26, to participate in a Young Travel Writers Scholarship. This is an opportunity for young adults to share their tales with our community, and to be eligible to win their own scholarship to help support their desire to travel.
The scholarship period lasted for one month and in that time FTF received over 700 travel blogs from this group. Their essays had an 800 word limit and needed to include at least one photo, digital art work or video. The prizes were:
- First Place: $150
- Second Place: Travel Luggage from Ricardo of Beverly Hills
- Third Place: “Dream Destinations” (Time/Life Books)
- 3 Honorable Mentions: 4 Tickets to any Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum or Odditorium around the World
The finalists, less than 5% of the applicants, submitted travel blogs that were very well-written and expressed insight and a unique point of view. There were stories from college kids traveling on their own for the first time; 20-somethings learning from cultural exchanges; participants in aid projects; and personal reflections from those who journeyed beyond their homes as young adults. Some were written in a humorous voice, others were very moving.
The 2012 Young Travel Writers Scholarship Winners:
First Place:
Everyone Smiles in the Same Language by Emily Zmak
Second Place:
We Share the Same Blood by Margaret Kahn
Third Place:
Lost and Found: Yosemite by Henry Austin
Honorable Mentions:
City of Joy by Krishanu Chatterjee
No Lions, No Tigers, But Snot Rockets! Oh. My… by Lacie Benson
Watering the Mambas by Mica Jenkins
Finalists:
a breath of fresh air, by Marjorie Blanton
A Memory That Will Take Me Back, by Marah Evans
Cali for Real na, by Amy Sherman
Fighting for My Place in Paris, by Lauren Marie Albert
Giving What You Can, by Steve Kim
Godzilla Guard Spider, by Savannah Elaine Jackson
It’s Greek to Me, by Elizabeth Knier
Kirei, by E. Judson
My Beautiful Washington Home, by Tiffany Still
My Trip to Haiti, by Sarah Pease
Naked Nakedness Everywhere. A Banya Story, by Lacie Benson
Nigeria, by Chigozilim Menakaya
La Vita Bella, by Alex Walz
Les Vendanges in St. Georges, by Colleen McIntee
Metric Ravioli, by Emily Mangan
Neredesen, Margaret…Where are you? by Margaret Kahn
No Shoes, Just Service, by Mari Dugas
One Kilometer, by Christine Edmonds
Portland is for Lovers, by Sarah Fonseca
The Eiffel Tower When She Glitters, by Lauren L.
The Painters, by Kristen Stipanov
Time and Travel – East Asia, by Danielle Sleeper
There’s no doubt, Texas, by Desirae Keyunna Brumfield
The View from the Top: Reaching the Peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, by Rachel Heavner
Turks & Caicos 2012, by Madeleine Monaghan
Tzedakah in India, by Erin Givarz
Upon my Rocky Path, by Kelly W. Allen
Water[melon] for Elephants, by Travismms
Volunteering in South Africa, by Michaele Lemons
We Sang of the Monsoon, by Nithin Das
Family Travel Forum and The Society of American Travel Writers congratulate all of the winning travel bloggers.
To learn more about upcoming scholarship opportunities or read more great travel blogs, visit Family Travel Forum’s Scholarship Page.
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