(New York, NY – September 22, 2013) Congratulations to all student travel bloggers who earned 2013 Scholarships from Family Travel Forum (FTF) and the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) for college or further travels. Over 5,000 students ages 13-18, educated in US or American-International schools or home-schooled, applied for this merit scholarship.
The seventh Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship accepted submissions April 15 through July 22, 2013. The topic, turning the author’s favorite community into a travel destination, was a departure from prior contests. “In writing about their chosen towns,” notes Fran Falkin, senior editor at Family Travel Forum, “we read of their great pride, and an appreciation for nature and close community ties.”
FTF was grateful for the sponsorship of event producer Travel Media Showcase (TMS), the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism CaymanKind program and CityPASS. Joanne Vero of TMS says, “We are committed to this scholarship with FTF and SATW because it helps our teens move write along to become the next generation of educated travelers.”
Three preliminary rounds of judging done by FTF interns, senior members of SATW and FTF editors narrowed down the huge volume of eloquent blogs, photographs and videos. The Quarter-Finalist rank, reached by 14% of the total entries submitted, was re-read until Semi-Finalist travel blogs numbered less than 1%.
The top Finalist essays were passed to a panel of professional travel journalists, editors and photographers from SATW who judged them on originality, eloquence and a sense of place. “We are honored to partner again wth FTF to celebrate teen travel writers and their future as travel journalists and photographers,” adds Lillian Africano, president of SATW.
We congratulate the Winners of the 2013 Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship and thank them for submitting such great work.
FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship Winners for 2013:
1st Place ($1,000):
“The Wonderful Land of Coney” by Deborah Teslyar, Brooklyn, New York
2nd Place ($500):
“Shades of Gray: Mixing Light and Dark in St. Petersburg, Russia” by Diana Kruzman, Cupertino, California
3rd Place ($200):
“Orange City: Iowa’s Most Unique Cultural Jewel” by Bethany Dykstra, Orange City, Iowa
FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship Honorable Mentions 2013:
(Honorarium includes travel journals and passes to any Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum)
“Hipsters and Wanderers” by Anisha Agarwal, Portland, Oregon
“Sweet Simplicity” by Brock Allen, Concord, New Hampshire
“The Chocolate Covered Pretzel I Call Home” by Emily Bordelove, Henderson, Nevada
“The Hidden Gems of Canton” by Emily Bowen, Canton, Ohio
“Sunshine. Simplicity. Ssenga.” by Hannah Carrol, Englewood, Ohio
“Life Under the Big Sky – Bozeman, Montana” by Nichole Chimbos, Bozeman, Montana
“Colors in the Air” by Katy Cui, Bellevue, Washington
“The City of Sawdust “Claws” its Way into Top Tourist Destination” by Megan Diermeier, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
“Vancouver. (No, not BC.) Washington. (No, not DC.)” by Waverley He, Vancouver, Washington
“The Normal and Extraordinary Places of Bangladesh” by Neelim Haider, Arlington, Texas
“Good Things Come in Small Packages” by Kierstynn Holman, Webberville, Michigan
“Cows, Colleges, and Contentment” by Jessica Holmes, Dundas, Minnesota
“Star of Bavaria” by Jessica Hutcheson, Douglasville, Georgia
“Grab a Bike and Explore Wassenaar, NL” by Ashley Kopf, Houston, Texas
“A Panorama of Life: Poughkeepsie, NY” by Lavinia Liang, Poughkeepsie, New York
“What a Desert Oasis Really Looks Like” by Zoe Mendoza, Tucson, Arizona
“We’re Still in Kansas, Toto” by Natalie Moran, Overland Park, Kansas
“Second to None: Why Chicago is America’s Heart” by Gregory Ross, Elmhurst, Illinois
“Sizzlin’ n’ Spicy; that’s Right Y’all, I Live In Texas!” by Jessica Sadler, Arlington, Texas
“Austin, Texas – Things To Do and Reasons To Visit!” by Naomi Shamblin, Austin, Texas
“The Town Where Art Lives: Saugatuck” by Kate Stanloski, Allegan, Michigan
“Wild Wonders of the Himalayas” by Adam Verma, Houston, Texas
“Small-Town Delight in a Big-City World: Discovering Baldwinsville, NY” by Shelley Verma, Baldwinsville, New York
“Rural Japan – A Vacation for those in Need of More” by Monica Weller, Westminster, Colorado
“Forest, Farm, and Southern Charm: Why Hayden, Alabama is the Best Southern Travel Destination You’ve Never Heard Of” by Emily Wiginton, Warrior, Alabama
For the fourth year, prizes for Best Photograph and Best Video are given by SATW in recognition of the multimedia skills required of today’s professional travel journalists.
2013 Teen Travel Scholarship Best Photography
(SATW Honorarium of a $150 Photography Equipment Merchandise Gift Certificate)
“The Untouched Magic of Kaua’i: The Garden Island” by Kalena Wong, Kalaheo, Kaua’i, Hawai’i
2013 Teen Travel Scholarship Best Video
(SATW Honorarium of a $150 Photography Equipment Merchandise Gift Certificate)
“Running Saved My Life” by Michael Benjamin, Eastvale, California
About Family Travel Forum (FTF)
Family Travel Forum is the best resource for planning fun family vacations; trusted since 1996 by parents and grandparents traveling the world with kids. FTF’s award-winning vacation planning sites feature savvy tips and destination reviews; the Top 10 Getaways survey of resort-based infant programs; a robust Flee Market™; forums and user blogs highlighted in “The Complete Idiots Guide to the Best Family Destinations” (Alpha Penguin). FTF consults to the trade via Family Travel Consulting and co-hosts TMS Family Travel conference.
About Travel Media Showcase (TMS)
Travel Media Showcase (TMS), now in its 14th year, is the leading rendezvous for travel and tourism marketers to connect with media professionals and promote destinations, services and attractions. TMS Family Travel, in its 2nd year, runs professional enrichment conferences for media and sponsors interested in the family travel market. Both fun, first-class events are among the many successful meetings produced by J. Vero Associates, proud sponsors of the FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship.
About Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
The Society of American Travel Writers was established in 1955, and its membership includes journalists, editors,photographers, filmmakers, bloggers, and communications professionals who specialize in the travel industry. SATW promotes responsible journalism, provides professional support and development for its members, and encourages the conservation and preservation of travel resources worldwide. To learn more about SATW and Travel’s Most Trusted Voices, please visit www.satw.org. Follow SATW on Facebook at www.facebook.com/satwofficial and on Twitter @SATW.
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Contact: Fran Falkin
Email: FTFstaff@familytravelforum.com
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Very tasty.
Dubai is a glorious city in the world but the desert safari is most thrilling tour in Dubai since 1980 . This is a great post and great team work .
When I was reading this I realize that this is the best blog as compare to others. Its really appreciated.
Don’t stop keep posting this type of posts
Good address for ski. My daughter loves skiing very much. It will be a good option for us for the next winter holiday.
Good to know as I have a daughter at 10 YOD and she loves skiing very much.
Seems there are lots of fun for kids in Las Vegas. I have never though about a such thing there. It will be a good option to consider for our next family holiday. Thank you.
What’s a wonderful & luxury holiday. I am dreaming about it.
It’s Fantastic And Useful Blog About World Heritage Sites and There information is very informative and useful.
Thanks for sharing.
I love reading your blogs, there are many useful information for travelers. Thank you very much for sharing.
Good advices when traveling with kids. Thank you very much.
What’s an amazing trip. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice day. We don’t have it in Vietnam 🙁
Amazing hotels. I love eco-resort with nature style instead of modern hotels.
Good to read this before I prepare my family trip in the summer.
Good to know this. Thank you for sharing. I will consider this for my children.
Thank you for these tips on how to plan a family safari! I’d like to be able to take my whole family and show them the beauty of Africa. But it always seemed so daunting to plan a whole trip that everyone would enjoy. I mean there’s always the age differences, and differences in interest as well to think about. Just thinking of ensuring that everything goes well planned is stressing me out. That’s why I turned to the internet in search of tips! Definitely will use your tips on how to choose a safari.
Very good tips. We all should follow these tips for a safe road trip. Thanks for the great help.
Thankyou Mr Ralph S for giving precise information on the overland.
i will be travelling for the 1st time from adelaide to melbourne this month end. it will be of grt help.
Soon I’ll be planning a trip to Dubai. Thanks for the information about what’s worth visiting.
Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
Very good
Thank you for sharing these warm and touching thoughts of yours! I’ve only been the Belarus once, but I wish I read it before going, something in my experience would definitely be different then. I did use some advise – from the telegram channel for foreigners https://t.me/Belanews but I guess your opinion would be great to consider and embrace too.
Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
That place is really amazing. I want to spend my vacations on this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
I've been there last year. If someone is looking for a nice hotel I can highly recommend to take a look at the Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Such a good information.Nice work.Very useful for us.
The gardens of Suzhou are absolutely beautiful and something that you don’t want to miss while you are there.
Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
It looks like a beautiful experience. Turkey is a wonderful country -and the fact that it’s not that expensive compared to other countries makes a visit there even more tempting. Thanks for sharing.
good tips, safety comes first so that our trip may be remembered as a happy memoir when we went to see and explore new places and have fun. and not as a terrifying night in the ER. god bless you all , be safe
Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this.
Great tips for road trips!
Thanks for posting, very valuable information .
Being visiting is one of the best experiences of my life. Being there and enjoying every bit of time is wonderful. Personally, my best experience is an underground aquarium and desert safari. One visited Dubai must go for these two activities.
Would love this for our family!
We’ve always wanted to go and now they are old enough to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for doing this!
The beaches, the weather, the food, the attractions and the activities- everything was perfect.
I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
Hi,
You have explained the timeshare information for Spain country very well.Share more blogs which will we helpful for people like us in future.
Thanks
Seeking for your positive reply.
Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
Wonderfully informative article!
I want to go travel with kids but I was not decided where we go. Your post is helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
Very nice article and msg we likes so much
I automatically think the word “gumbling” when I heard Las Vegas. I never knew that Las Vegas has something to offer for youngsters. Will bring my children here soon.
Nice Article, it is very helpful to me.
There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
Istanbul layover tour is a great service to use the best of your time in Istanbul Airport. However if you like to have a private attention and flexibility, you can check private tour services of ISTANBUL LAYOVER TOURS. They are offering the layover tours from Istanbul International Airport.
Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?