Second Annual Solas Awards Winners

Winners of the Second Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year were announced February 29, 2008 by the editors of Travelers’ Tales. Grand Prize winner Joel Carillet collected $1,000 for his poignant story about human connection in Bangkok in “Red Lights and a Rose.” Cameron McPherson Smith won the silver award and $750 for “Ghost on Ice,” his powerful tale of braving the winter alone on Alaska’s North Slope. Pamela Cordell Avis took the bronze and $500 for her story “Philomen and Baucis,” a lovely and lyrical account of her move from Los Angeles to rural France. Read these stories on the Great Stories page.

More than 300 entries in 21 categories kept the judges busy. This year the work entered in the competition was superb, 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. Here’s a list of stories deserving honorable mention.

Deadline for the Third Annual Solas Awards is September 21, 2008. The competition is year-round, however, so submit your stories any time.

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, 2008.

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:

Certificates and bragging rights for Gold, Silver, and Bronze (no cash awards in categories) plus a copy of The Best Travel Writing 2008 or The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2008.

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