For over 25 years, the Bradt Guides ‘New Travel Writer of the Year’ competition has been seeking out and championing new writing talent. Previous winners and finalists in the competition have gone on to see their work published in newspapers, travel magazines and books.
As previously, we’ve teamed up with the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards to offer this unrivalled opportunity for unpublished travel writers. We’re also very excited that this year’s first prize is a rail break for two to Pas de Calais sponsored by Pas de Calais Tourisme, along with a commission to write an article about the trip.
The theme
The theme for this year’s competition is A Hasty Exit. Entrants are invited to submit an original piece of writing of between 600 and 800 words that focuses on this topic. It is not compulsory to include the phrase within the body of the piece itself, but the piece must very clearly adhere to this theme. Please note that ‘A Hasty Exit’ should NOT be the title of the piece – each entry must have an original title.
The piece must be a true story, based on the writer’s personal experience and written as a first-hand account, in the first person and in English.
The prizes
Three finalists will be invited to attend the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in London in early 2025, where the winner will be announced along with all the other awards.
The overall winner will win a short break to Pas de Calais, including return rail tickets. They will be commissioned to write an article about their trip which will be published on the Bradt website, as well as in Traveller magazine.
The two runners-up will receive three Bradt guides of their choice. All the shortlisted pieces will be published on the Bradt website.
For more details, see our terms and conditions page.
The judges
Judges for this year’s competition:
- Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides
- Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides
- Amy Sohanpaul, editor of Traveller Magazine
- Jonathan Lorie, travel-writing trainer and author of The Travel Writer’s Way
- Hugh Brune, head of sales and marketing at Bradt Guides
Before you enter
To give yourself the best possible chance of success, have a look at our hints from a previous competition about what the judges are looking for. You can also read all of last year’s longlisted entries. Still not sure whether to throw your hat into the ring? Read Jonathan Lorie’s article on travel writing competitions.
For more inspiration, take a look at Travel Write, an anthology of the best pieces of writing to pass in front of the judges’ eyes over the past 20 years. Six themed chapters include remarkable places, extraordinary people, encounters with wildlife; real terror; history; and learning and reflection. All in all, 95 stories cover everything from border guard mix-ups, wild animals and dodgy navigation to a day trip to Iceland and being seduced by a goat in a French market.
Am I eligible?
The competition is open to unpublished writers only. We define this as someone who has not previously been paid for a travel-related piece of writing published either in print or online. There are always grey areas with this, so for further clarification please see the competition rules here, and if you’re still not sure get in touch.
The small print
Entry fee: £15.
Deadline for entries: 15 November 2024.
Full details of how to submit your entry will be sent upon payment of the entry fee.
Pay your entry fee here.
For full terms and conditions, see this page.