Fourth Annual Solas Awards Closed, Fifth Annual Awards Open

The deadline for the fourth annual Solas Awards was September 21, 2009. Winners will be announced on or before March 1, 2010. Now the fifth annual Solas Awards competition is open. To enter the current competition, follow the instructions here.

Third Annual Solas Awards Winners

Winners of the Third Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year were announced February 28, 2009 by the editors of Travelers’ Tales. Grand Prize winner David Torrey Peters collected $1,000 for “The Bamenda Syndrome,” his compelling story about madness in a Cameroon village. Bruce Berger won the silver award and $750 for “Discalced,” his charming tale of the life of shoes in Spain and Baja California. Kathleen Spivack took the bronze and $500 for “The Empty Rocker,” her poignant memory of a friendship in Paris and Amsterdam. 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 are 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 Fifth Annual Solas Awards is September 21, 2010. The competition is year-round, however, so submit your stories any time.

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, 2010.

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 2009 or The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009.

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