We host regular travel writing competitions on themes that explore different aspects of the travel experience. Entry is generally free and open to new and established travel writers worldwide. Winners are paid a monetary prize and selected finalists and published and paid our standard publication fee.
News (July 2026): We’re excited to announce the shortlist for our ‘Where Things Fall Apart’ travel writing competition. Discover the selected entries below, and check back here for the next competition soon.
Past Travel Writing Competitions:
When Things Fall Apart (May 2026)
- Bastards of Bosnia by Stu O’Brien
- I Went From Paradise to Relapse at a Fiesta in the Philippines by Tim Mooney
- In Corral del Risco, Mexico, Cartel Violence Forced Me into Hiding by Rebeca Dunn-Krahn
- Deported, Stranded, Assaulted: Seeking Kindness in the Balkans by Tina Lam
- I’m Alone in Paris and There’s a Stranger at the Door by Sarah John [Winner!]
A Human Moment (December 2025)
Thank you to Travel Lemming for sponsoring this competition and supporting (human) travel writers!
- Finalist: Bonnie Rose “The Night I Met Emma in an Amsterdam Jazz Cafe“
- Finalist: Stephen Hindes “What Javier Taught Me About Love, Religion, and Rebellion in the West Bank“
- Finalist: Bethany Hansel “How a Grandmother Healed Me in a Kyrgyzstan Hostel“
- Finalist: Kate Meadows “Learning to Communicate with Weavers on Lake Titicaca“
- Winner: Charles King “The Bridge of Sighs“
A Book Led Me There (October 2025)
Theme: Travels inspired or impelled by a book. The winner and finalists will be published throughout November 2025, and the links will be added below when they are live.
- Finalist: Troy Nahumko: Everywhere and Nowhere
- Finalist: Camila Rikli: The Saddle I Inherited
- Finalist: Rebecca High: On Holiday in Cambodia
- Finalist: Joe Aultman-Moore: Travels with Steinbeck
- Winner: Riley Ringer: An Impossible Machu Picchu Adventure
Pilgrimages (March 2025)
Theme: Our 2025 travel writing competition invited writers to explore the concept of the pilgrimage, be it literary, secular, personal, or spiritual.
The selected stories will be published every Wednesday throughout late April and early May.
Finalist: Confusion and Catharsis on the Spanish Meseta by Leonard Vance
Finalist: Searching for Vlad the Impaler, a Train Journey Through Snow and Time from Bucharest to Sighișoara by Patricia Furstenberg
Finalist: Granted Passage by Simona Cibulková
Finalist: A Room with a View by Michael Engelhard
Winner: Chota Char Dham – A Voyage into the Mountains, the Mind, and the Heart by Rachel Markowitz
Crossings (April 2024)
Theme: From physical barriers, notable landmarks, or simply a passage from who we were to who we are after having traveled to a particular place, crossings are everywhere when we travel.
Finalist: Why You Should Sleep on Haystacks by Zane Jarecke
Finalist: Checkpoints and Chai in Iraq by Danika Smith
Finalist: An Almost Film Composer in Beijing by Nathaniel Murray
Finalist: The Night Train to Nukus by Alex Dutson
Winner: A Night Walk in Kathmandu by Carolyn Keller
The Soundtrack of Travel (September 2023)
Theme: Explore the importance of music in how we experience travel.
Finalist: Cornered in Madrid by Marianne Rogoff
Finalist: From Sudan with Love by Liz Mason
Finalist: Waking Up the Souls by Stu Obrien
Winner: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Tiffany Connolly
Romance on the Road (March 2023)
Theme: In any travel experience, there are opportunities for love, romance, and connection.
Finalist: Romancing the Ice by Jana Dietrich
Finalist: Here With Me in Mexico City by Stu O’Brien
Finalist: Milagro del Mar by India Worstell
Winner: The Dead’s Mailbox by Khrystelle Francheska
Wrong Turns (April 2022)
Theme: Travel may take us in unintended directions, but our new destination can provide meaningful experiences and memories.
Finalist: On the Banks of the Perfume River by Ian C Douglas
Finalist: One Wrong Turn in Mexico by Timothy Mathis
Finalist: Parables and Archetypes by W Goodwin
Winner: Your Roots Are Showing by Amie McGraham
Unexpected Adventures (August 2021)
Theme: The best travel experiences are the ones we do not plan.
Finalist: The Nowhere Man by Steve Wade
Finalist: Seekat by Tanya Lottridge
Finalist: A Watershed Vacation by Joe Novara
Winner: Wildes Volk by Joe Aultman-Moore
Reunions (December 2020)
Theme: Stories about a time you have reconnected with a person, a place, or a part of yourself.
Finalist: Al Dente by Callum Brockett
Finalist: Davy Jones and the Cape by Jane Copland
Finalist: Through the Beholder’s Eyes by Annointing Ogbewekon
Finalist: Brave as Hatice by Katherine Belliel
Winner: The Jeweled Lotus by E. E. Rhodes
Chance Encounters (April 2020)
Theme: Stories about an interesting conversation, quirky character, or unexpected encounter that occurred during your travels.
Finalist: Knights on the Mountain by Joe Aultman-Moore
Finalist: For the Love of a Dugong by Imogen Lepere
Finalist: The Last Days of Communism by Rachael Rowe
Winner: Coffee in Kigali by Emma Dredge
Fearless Footsteps (October 2019)
Theme: Overcoming fear while on the road can lead to meaningful travel experiences.
For this writing competition, we partnered with Exisle Publishing to release an anthology of selected entries. After some delays due to the disruptions of last year, the book was finally released worldwide in November 2020 – learn more here: Fearless Footsteps book
A couple of entries were also published on IntrepidTimes.com, including:
Everything is Going to be Okay… by J.D. Martens
On the Road to Panic by Megan Dwyer
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