Travel Writing Competition: “Wrong Turns”
$150 Top Prize
May 1 Update: Thank you for the several hundred writers who have participated in Wrong Turns, you have made this our most popular travel writing competition yet! Entries are now closed and we begin the process of reading each and every single story that has come through. Please keep your eyes peeled for an update in early June – writers who opted for an Assessed submission will receive their feedback before then! For updates, please follow up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @IntrepidTImes
Dear writer,
Every once in a while, we, as travelers, make decisions that take us in unintended directions. These wrong turns may be as simple as going left when we should go right, taking the local bus when we know we should fly, or deciding to head off in a random direction for a long weekend away.
The decisions we make don’t always pan out in the way we had hoped, but these mistakes can turn into meaningful travel experiences that lead to new discoveries or connections. A risk or moment of poor judgment may feel reckless one moment and inspiring the next, a paradox that can lead us to travel more conscientiously in the future while continuing to cultivate a growing sense of adventure.
Sometimes our wrong turns ultimately teach us the right lessons.
For our latest writing competition, Intrepid Times is inviting travelers and writers from all countries, at all levels of writing experience, to explore this idea.
Write an original, factual, first-person travel story about a time you made a decision or took a risk while traveling that got you lost, landed you somewhere you didn’t intend, or led to a new discovery, realization, or connection.
Your story should be between 1000 and 1500 words. Editors will be looking for originality, voice, and a satisfying story that captures attention and makes use of imagery to pull the reader along at every step.
One winner and up to three runners-up will be selected and have their work published on Intrepid Times. The winner will be paid a cash-prize of US $150, while the runners up will be paid US $50.
Entry is free of charge to all writers. However, writers looking to improve their writing through detailed feedback may choose to purchase an assessed entry using the link below. With this option, you will receive a Google Doc with line-by-line comments and suggestions on how to improve your writing on a sentence level, as well as a detailed, personal email explaining any structural, stylistic or strategic changes to help you grow as a writer.
The deadline to submit your writing for the “Wrong Turns Travel Writing Competition” is April 30, 2022. Winners and runners-up will be announced in June, and payment will be made to each winner/finalist on the day their selected story is published.
Please select the relevant option below to submit your story:
UPDATE: SUBMISSIONS CLOSED!
Free Entry
Your submission will be considered on its merits. You will not receive feedback on your writing unless you are selected as a winner or runner-up.
Assessed Entry
Your submission will be considered on its merits, and you will receive a guaranteed response in early May with detailed and constructive feedback on your writing, regardless of the competition outcome.
(Special offer: Save $20 off the price of a standard Article Assessment – Only $55).
Winners and runners-up will be announced in June 2022. Assessed entries will receive their detailed feedback in May.
