The Independent on Sunday/
Bradt Travel-Writing Competition 2009

Selected Entries

We are publishing a selection of the top 40 entries which went forward to the next stage of judging as well as some stories which didn't make it to the long list. Click a title below to read the article. Scroll down for the winning pieces.

THEME: MEETING THE LOCALS

Vietnam Number One Henryk Sadzyk

A Friendly Face Richard Zahra

Change Chris Nicholson

The Far Side of the Lake Niamh Delaney

Abundio Toby Floyer

Damascus Sarah Stewart

THEME: DRUGS

Postcard from Paradise Lost John M Edwards
A Night with the Shaman David Jennings
The Blue Cactus Pilgrimage Vanessa Buendia
The Air is Sweet Here Sue Wilsher

THEME: GIVING SOMETHING BACK

Somewhere Near Lake Kyogo Frances Green

A Journey to the Dark Side of Myself Cheryn Flanagan

The Present Elizabeth Sharpe

THEME: MOROCCO

The Robe Bill Fink

Mohammed and Youseff Pietro Abela

THEME: DESTINATION REALLY REALLY UNKNOWN

The Best of Intentions Gill Goddard

Baja James Davis

SHORTLISTED ENTRIES

From the long list of 40, the following shortlist went forward to the final judging, having been selected by at least one of the judges, and usually by two or three. All were exceptional stories, usually well shaped, and with some clever uses of the theme "Destination unknown". Click a title below to read the story.

Moscow Express Tom Czaban

Backtracking Africa Clarrisa Hughes

Take a left at Robert Mugabe and just keep going Helen Beazley

The Journey Cristy Burne

The Road from Minsk Laura Thorpe

Four Fingers to Meng Zu Marie Kreft

Scrabble Simon Duncan

Kolkata Mystery Tour David Maidment

Six Finalists

The six finalists in alphabetical order by author:
 
Dragon Boat Martin Alexander [published category]
T Time in Buenos Aires Sally Blake [unpublished category]
Colours Unknown Kate Cantrell [unpublished category]
Snaps Sophie Coulombeau [unpublished category]
November, 2008 Jo Forel [unpublished category]
The Night Kitchens of Zeida Andrea Kirkby [published category]

And the Winner Is...

Andrea Kirby was announced winner of the 2009 Bradt Travel Guides/Independent on Sunday Travel-writing Competition at the awards ceremony held at Stanford's Bookshop in London. With her entry The Night Kitchens of Zeida Kirkby wins a holiday for two in Colombia, courtesy of the Colombia Tourist Office, Proexport and The Traveller. Kate Cantrell wins top place in the Unpublished Writers’ category. Kate travelled from Australia to attend the awards ceremony and is pictured here with deciding judge and travel writer, Matthew Parris. She wins a place on a Travellers' Tales writing course held in Spain.

Hilary Bradt, Chairman of Bradt Travel Guides, said the quality of the writing this year surpassed all previous years making the task of choosing the six short-listed finalists extremely difficult. Matthew Parris, who had the unenviable task of choosing the overall winner, commented that any of the finalists could have won. However, he felt that Andrea's piece succeeded in bringing to a travel experience most vividly to life. Congratulations to Andrea Kirkby and Kate Cantrell.

Details

First prize in the Bradt/Independent on Sunday Travel-writing Competition is an exciting holiday for two in Colombia. The winning story will be published in The Independent on Sunday and the author will earn a commission from the newspaper.
 
The competition, open to all unpublished and published writers over 18 worldwide, was on the theme of 'Destination Unknown'. To encourage new writers, there is also a prize specifically for those who have not been published before. Unpublished writers are eligible for both categories.
 
The Independent on Sunday will publish the winning entry and offer a commission for a 900-word article based on the winner's prize holiday. The exciting prize is a holiday for two in Colombia generously donated by the Colombia Tourist Office – Proexport and The Traveller, the UK's leading cultural, historical and archaeological tour operator. The itinerary includes three nights’ accommodation in Bogota plus three nights in Cartagena at three-star hotels. Transfers and guided tours are included.
 
The prize in the unpublished writers' category is a place on a travel-writing course in Spain, kindly provided by Travellers' Tales, the UK's leading training agency for travel writing and photography. This weekend course will be held in Cordoba in October 2009.
 
The judges are the editorial staff of Bradt Travel Guides, Jonathan Lorie of Travellers' Tales and Kate Simon, travel editor of The Independent on Sunday. The final winners will be selected by journalist, travel-writer and politician Matthew Parris. The shortlisted entrants will be invited to the prize-giving ceremony at Stanfords in London on Tuesday 14 July 2009.
 

 
 
To read the winning entries from previous years see 2007 and 2008.