Teen Travel Bloggers Win Big
In an example of great partnering, Family Travel Forum (FTF) and the Society of American of Travel Writers teamed up to work with and present the lucky Bloggers who earned the 2012 Teen Travel Writing Scholarships, awarded by both of these professional travel content organizations.
The fierce competition attracted more than 6,300 students ages 13-18, educated in US or American-International schools or home-schooled, all of whom applied for the merit scholarships. This is the sixth annual travel writing scholarship contest, and Blog topics ranged from adventure trips and the power of nature, to journeys of self-discovery; and from historical and cultural exchanges to family reunions and heritage explorations.
The many tales of volunteer trips emphasized that human connections made are as important to teens as understanding new cultures.
There were three preliminary rounds of judging done by FTF Interns, senior members of the Society of American Travel Writers and FTF Editors. Family Travel Forum CEO, Kyle McCarthy, said FTF managed the huge volume of "eloquent" travel tales, photographs and videos.
The Quarter-Finalist rank was attained by 23% of the total entries; Semi-Finalist travel blogs numbered less than 1%.
From these, the top finalist essays, only .036% of those submitted, were passed to a panel of professional travel journalists, editors and photographers from SATW who judged them on "originality, eloquence and a sense of place."
FTF is honored by the continued support and participation of SATW because of its commitment to responsible journalism, conservation and the preservation of travel resources worldwide.
The travel industry congratulates the Winners of the 2012 Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarships and thanks all the applicants for submitting such great work.
1st Place $1,000 plus a family of 4 vacation to Universal Orlando Resort: "Vietnam And My Baby Sister" by Kaitlyn Kraybill-Voth, Denver, Colorado.
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