Bay Area Travel Writers
P.O. Box 460222
San Francisco, CA 94146
(415) 267-6176
www.batw.org
For Immediate Release:
Bay Area Travel Writers Holds 3rd Annual Travel Writing Contest for all Bay Area High School Students
Held October 1 – October 31, 2007
San Francisco: September 13, 2007. The Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW), a twenty-year-old professional organization of travel writers and photographers, announces its third annual travel writing contest for all Bay Area high school students. No entry fee is required.
Students wishing to enter should submit a 500-word essay concerning a travel destination, experience or activity. Travel essays deal with the idea and experience of travel - whether the writer has traveled to the other side of the world, down the block or anywhere in between.
All essays will be evaluated by BATW judges (professional travel writers). Essays will be judged on accuracy, originality, creativity, proper use of language, syntax and grammar, and humor.
3 Prizes will be awarded:
$200.00 First Prize + Official Awards Certificate
$100.00 Second Prize + Official Awards Certificate
$50.00 Third Prize + Official Awards Certificate
Honorable Mentions will also be awarded
Rules of Entry:
- One entry per person.
- Essays must be 500 words (or less) in length. Entries exceeding the 500 word limit will be disqualified.
- Stories must be double-spaced, with the author's full name, address, telephone number and email address at the top of the page. Also include your school's name, location and the name of your English/Journalism teacher.
- Please include an affidavit at the end of the story attesting that the work has been created solely by the entrant.
- Entries will be accepted by e-mail only, beginning October 1, 2007. All entries must be e-mailed by October 31, 2007 to: contest@batw.org
All Bay Area high school students are eligible to participate, including those attending public, private and/or parochial high schools. Home schooled high school age students are also welcome to submit. The "Bay Area" refers to the counties of: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma.
Contest winners will be notified by telephone no later than December 15, 2007. Contest winners will be invited to receive their awards, and to read their essays in person, at a future BATW monthly meeting. Winning entries will also be posted on the BATW Website.
The Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW), based in San Francisco, is a non-profit, professional organization of travel writers, editors and photographers with outstanding achievements in travel journalism. These professionals share their unique stories in newspapers, magazines, books, websites and other worldwide travel publications.
For further information contact:
Bob Ecker, BATW High School Contest Coordinator, at (707) 421-1701 eckerbob@mindspring.com
Bay Area Travel Writers Announces the Results of the 2nd Annual Travel Writing Contest For Bay Area High School Students
Held October 1 – October 31, 2006
Official BATW 2006 High School
Travel Writing Essay Results
1st Place Winner: Nicholas Teddy, Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa
Story: In Tokyo
2nd Place Winner: Matt Seneca, Berkeley High School Independent Study, Berkeley
Story: London (Under The Ground) 6215
3rd Place Winner: Milena Schaller, Berkeley High School Independent Study, Berkeley
Story: Les Escargots
Honorable Mentions:
(in alphabetical order)
Howie Bruno, Hillsdale High School, San Mateo
Story: Costa Rica Story
Charlotte Hill, Northgate High School, Walnut Creek
Story: Ireland
Adrian Kane, San Francisco School of the Arts, San Francisco
Story: An Inn With Sebastian
Patrick Mason, Hillsdale High School, San Mateo
Story: Road Tripping With Dad
Joe Shemuel, Berkeley High School, Berkeley
Story: Scossa e Riverenza
Congratulations to all winners, and to every student who submitted essays.
Bob Ecker, Past President