LONDON (1 August) — The winner of the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Travel Writing Competition 2016 is Suzy Pope for her piece on Dar es Salaam.

Launched in March in a bid to discover the best of British talent, the competition challenged readers to submit a great piece of travel writing. The brief was to write a focused piece of 500 words that captured both the essence of a destination and the spirit of National Geographic Traveller: immersive travel and authentic storytelling. The results were of high quality and, over the last three days, the magazine has revealed the top three entries on its website.

Pat Riddell, Editor, National Geographic Traveller (UK), said: “This year’s entries were, as usual, of a particularly high standard. But Suzy’s entry particularly stood out to all the judges and, in the end, it was a unanimous decision to award her the top prize.

“The sense of place is immediately established and atmosphere palpable. But what’s striking is the engagement with the destination and the interaction; the confusion quickly broken by the common language of football. The short sentences and present tense compel you to read on but the conclusion is a familiar one in travel — expectations confounded, experiences enriched. A worthy winner.”

Suzy’s prize is a 17-day expedition to Madagascar, courtesy of our sponsor Natural World Safaris, worth almost £6,000. She’ll embark on a small group expedition led by Daniel Austin and Hilary Bradt, authors of the award-winning Bradt guides to Madagascar and Madagascar Wildlife. The safari will take her from the lemur-rich eastern rainforests of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park to the spectacular limestone pinnacles and canyons of the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. Other ecological sites will include Ranomafana National Park, home to the rarely sighted greater bamboo lemur. She’ll also enjoy the exclusive visit to Kianjavato to learn about lemur research and conservation. naturalworldsafaris.com

Congratulations are also in order to the two runners-up. In second place is John Metcalfe with his piece on Zambia, while Sachin Rao came third with his entry on Myanmar.

The winning entry and the two runners-up can now be read on the National Geographic Traveller website. natgeotraveller.co.uk/travel-writing-competition/

They all will also be available to read in the October issue.

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NOTES

National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published under license by APL Media Limited, from National Geographic Partners LLC in Washington, D.C. It was launched in December 2010 and is one of 16 local-language editions. The magazine is also available in Australia, China, Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Latin America, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia and Spain. The 180-page travel and lifestyle magazine is packed full of you-are-there photography, authentic travel experiences and inspiring narratives. natgeotraveller.co.uk

About National Geographic Travel (USA)
National Geographic Travel creates authentic, meaningful and engaging travel experiences through National Geographic Traveler magazine; National Geographic Expeditions; National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World; digital travel content; travel books; maps; and travel photography programmes. National Geographic Traveler (six issues per year) has 16 international editions. National Geographic Expeditions, the travel programme of the Society, offers a variety of unique travel experiences led by top experts to more than 80 destinations across all seven continents. National Geographic Travel books bring readers curated travel advice, photography and insider tips. nationalgeographic.com/travel

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC, a joint venture between National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox, combines National Geographic television channels with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, location-based entertainment, archival sales, catalog, licensing and e-commerce businesses. A portion of the proceeds from National Geographic Partners LLC will be used to fund science, exploration, conservation and education through significant on-going contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. nationalgeographic.com

 

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