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Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year 2026 – competition entry

Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year 2026 – competition entry

£15.00

Buy this to receive details for how to enter the Bradt Guides New Travel Writer of the Year competition  – best of luck!

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One entry to the Bradt Guides New Travel Writer of the Year competition 2026. Instructions for how to enter the competition will be emailed to you on purchase.

The competition

Enter the world’s best competition for unpublished travel writers!

For over 25 years, 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.

Once again part of the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, the leading book trade awards for travel writers,  this is an unrivalled opportunity for unpublished travel writers.

The theme

The theme for this year’s competition is The kindness of strangers. Entrants are invited to submit an original piece of writing of between 600 and 800 words which either includes this phrase or clearly touches on the theme.

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

The winner receives an exclusive trip for two to a destination to be confirmed by Bradt and Wanderlust, and a commission to write about their trip for Wanderlust.

Four finalists will have their entries published in Wanderlust and receive invitations to the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in London in March 2026.

The judges

Judges for this year’s competition:

  • Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides
  • Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides
  • Jonathan Lorie, travel-writing trainer and author of The Travel Writer’s Way.
  • Hugh Brune, Commercial Director of Bradt Guides

Before you enter

To give yourself the best possible chance of success, have a look at our article about what the judges are looking for. You can also read all of last year’s longlisted and shortlisted entries. Still not sure whether to throw your hat into the ring? Read Jonathan Lorie’s article on travel writing competitions.

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The competition is open to unpublished writers only.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: 3 November 2025 (tbc)

Full details of how to submit your entry will be sent upon payment of the entry fee.

For full terms and conditions, see this page.