LONDON (3 November 2020) — National Geographic Traveller (UK) has announced the winner and runners-up of its Travel Writing Competition 2020.

Writing about the Songkran festival in Bangkok, Thailand, Doug Loynes beat hundreds of entries to be named the winner of this year’s competition. The story, published in the Nov/Dec 2020 issue of National Geographic Traveller, focuses on the traditional New Year celebrations, in which crowds engage in a colourful mass water fight.

The entries were judged by the editors of National Geographic Traveller, who said of the winning entry: “Doug’s Songkran story threw us right into the thick of it, with his finger on the trigger, and cleverly built subtle suspense around a tense stand-off in the opening paragraph. He continues the clear, focused narrative with flair, ducking in and out of the water fight with informative snippets and his own takes on the festival. It’s an action-packed, well-paced anecdote that really stood out.”

Courtesy of TUI, the winner receives £3,000 worth of holiday vouchers to use to book a TUI Tour or another TUI holiday of their choice.

The three runners-up are Nikki Scrivener, who wrote about the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Isabel Eaton, with a horse ride through the marshlands of the Camargue, France; and Deborah Telkman, with a tale of a boat trip through Brazil’s Pantanal region.

Launched in March, the competition aims to find the best new travel writing talent that encapsulates the ethos of National Geographic Traveller: a strong sense of place, authentic travel experiences and immersive storytelling.

The entries can be read online: nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel-writing-competition-2020-results

The winning entry and abridged versions of the runner-up entries can also be read in the Nov/Dec issue of National Geographic Traveller, on newsstands from 5 November, priced £4.95.

National Geographic Traveller (UK) has a cover price of £4.95, is available via subscription and on newsstands, and is published 10 times a year. Visit nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel for more information.

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Notes

National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published under licence by APL Media Limited, from National Geographic Partners LLC in Washington, D.C. The travel and lifestyle magazine launched in December 2010 and is packed full of you-are-there photography, authentic travel experiences and inspiring narratives. nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivalled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) 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, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now it’s committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for its consumers — and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as it does so. NGP returns 27% of its proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. nationalgeographic.com

National Geographic Society is a leading non-profit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. It supports educators to ensure that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. National Geographic Society aspires to create a community of change, advancing key insights about the planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time. Its goal is measurable impact: furthering exploration and educating people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good. nationalgeographic.org

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