Win Cash and Publication
Many Categories for True Stories
Submit Your Story for the Solas Awards Here

Seventh Annual Solas Awards Open for Entries

The deadline for the Sixth Annual Solas Awards passed on September 21, but the Seventh Annual Awards are now open for entries through September 21, 2012. Watch for the announcement of winners in the Sixth Annual competition in March, 2012.

Fifth Annual Solas Awards Winners

In March 2011, the editors of Travelers’ Tales announced the winners of the Fifth Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year. Grand Prize winner Carolyn Kraus collected $1,000 for “The Memory Bird,” her powerful story about the search for the site of her grandmother’s death in Belarus. Marcia DeSanctis won the silver award and $750 for “Masha,” her poignant tale of a woman she once knew in Moscow and her efforts to find her again. Michael Shapiro took the bronze and $500 for “Beneath the Rim,” his engaging account of following in the paddle-strokes of John Wesley Powell on a journey through the Grand Canyon. Read these stories on the Great Stories page.

More than 250 entries in 21 categories kept the judges busy. This year the work entered in the competition was excellent, but as usual not every story that deserved an award received one. Here’s the complete list of winners. Winning stories will be posted on BestTravelWriting.com and many will appear in future Travelers’ Tales books.

Deadline for the Seventh Annual Solas Awards is September 21, 2012. The competition is year-round, however, so submit your stories any time.

See the complete list of winners in the Fifth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Fourth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Third Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Second Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the First Annual Solas Awards.

Travelers’ Tales Sponsors Solas Awards

Award-winning publisher Travelers’ Tales is the sponsor of The Solas Awards, an annual competition to honor excellence in travel writing.

Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.

Dates: You can enter year-round. The current competition closes September 21, 2012.

Win Cash and Publication
Many Categories for True Stories

Grand Prize for Best Travel Story of the Year:

$1,000 Gold
$750 Silver
$500 Bronze

Awards in Categories:

Bragging rights for Gold, Silver, and Bronze (no cash awards in categories) plus a copy of The Best Travel Writing 2011 or The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011.

Enter one or more categories and you’re automatically entered for the Grand Prize.