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As previously, we’ve teamed up with the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards to offer this unrivalled opportunity for unpublished travel writers. And this year we’re pleased to announce the exclusive media partner will be Wanderlust magazine, who will publish the shortlisted entries and commission a paid piece of writing from the winner.
The competition is now closed to entries.
ANNOUNCEMENT
We’re thrilled to announce the shortlist for the 2026 New Travel Writer of the Year competition. The entries are listed in alphabetical order.
The Shortlist
An Evening in Bishkek – Lucy Evanson
In the Teeth of the Devil – Chris Baker
Italian Tourist Dies of Trust – Tommaso Turi
Water from Empty Hands – Simon Gibbs
Read the shortlisted entries here.
Highly Commended
An Extra-Large Bowl of Ramen – Jessica Crisp
‘Kane o Narasu’ – Ring the Bell – Eben Rautenbach
The House That Stayed – Maria Kane
Travels in a Troubled Land – Daisy Wilkins
Commended
Across Borders: How a Bus Hijacking in Central America Revealed the Heart of Human Generosity – Sian Carter-Jones
The Farmer’s Way – Will Kriegshauser
The Man at the Border – Shelly Peterson
The Many Threads of Singapore – Nammie Matthews
Thunder, Hail and ‘Happy Birthday’ – A Birthday High Above Lake Garda – Edyta Tardowska Janusz
Twenty-Third and Seventh – Chris Small
Unspoken Kindness – Andi Utter
Yes b’y – the Newfoundland Diaries – Ève-Magali Sauriol-La Palme
What happens next?
The four shortlisted authors will be invited to the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards ceremony in March, at which the winner will be revealed.
The winner will receive a fully escorted tour to China for two including all flights, accommodation, meals and guided sightseeing, courtesy of Wendy Wu Tours.
Winners will also receive a commission to write about their trip for Wanderlust. They’ll join the ranks of published writers. It’s why this really is the premier competition for new travel writers.
Wendy Wu Tours is the UK’s leading tour operator to China, offering over 50 experience packed itineraries to every corner of this magnificent country.
For more details, see our terms and conditions page.
A note from Hilary Bradt
The competition is over, the judging is done, the shortlisted, highly commended and commended writers all have their mentions.
But – and there is a big but – there were so many really uplifting stories about the kindness of strangers, stories that shone a light on the selflessness and generosity that exists everywhere, that I’ve desperately wanted to find a way of sharing them.
So this is what we are going to do.
We will print a book containing the 44 most heart-warming stories (the criteria here being a little different from the rules we apply to a travel-writing competition).
If you entered the competition and have not been shortlisted, you therefore have another opportunity to see your work in print (subject to permission, all the short- and long-listed entries will be included). All those selected within the next two weeks.
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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 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 ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ 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 judges
Judges for this year’s competition:
- Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides
- Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides
- Jonathan Lorie, travel writing MA leader 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 shortlisted 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: 24 November 2025.
Full details of how to submit your entry will be sent upon payment of the entry fee.
The competition is now closed to entries
For full terms and conditions, see this page.