Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year 2027 – 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!
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Enter the world’s best competition for unpublished travel writers!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Stanford Travel Writing Awards, the leading book trade awards for travel writers, this is an unrivalled opportunity for unpublished travel writers.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 An Animal Encounter. 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 prize
Details of the exciting 1st prize to come!
Three finalists will have their entries published in Wanderlust and receive invitations to the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in London in March 2027.
The judges
Judges for this year’s competition:
- Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides
- Lyn Hughes, Founding Editor of Wanderlust magazine
- Jonathan Lorie, travel-writing trainer and author of The Travel Writer’s Way.
- Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides
- 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. And 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The competition is open to unpublished writers only.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: 1 November 2026.
Full details of how to submit your entry will be sent upon payment of the entry fee.
For full rules, terms and conditions, see this page.