Winners of the 2016 Gratitude Travel Writing Award are here!

 

Inspiration Award winnersIt’s finally here! The day we find out which talented writers are the 2016 WSGT Gratitude Travel Writing Award winners! They shared how travel has changed their lives and about a time where they took a risk and fought against fear and were willing to grow forward!

We’ve already opened the doors on our next Travel Writing AwardTravelers of all ages and from all countries are encouraged to participate. Entries are 500-800 words with 1 photo and you may submit multiple entries! Your article must be an original, previously unpublished piece. All posts, which meet the requirements, will be published on We Said Go Travel! We’ll be welcoming a new judge, Jason of Tea Kettle Junction, on board for our next award. Welcome Jason!

Now, thank you to everyone who participated and shared their story of inspiration! Drum roll please…

First Place:

PERU: THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE IN AGUAS CALIENTES BY JON LAPIDESE

Aguas Calientes is a mountain town in Peru. It’s also Spanish for hot water – which was appropriate as that was where I found myself at the moment. It was late and our film crew was tired and hungry. I was tired, hungry and worried. The local fixer who had promised me dozens of rooms had desaparecido. Vanished.

 

Second Place: 

FINDING LOST GRATITUDE IN KANAZAWA, JAPAN BY RITU PRASAD

In February, I received my first acceptance to graduate school. In March, I lost my grandfather to cancer. In April, I quit my job. By May, I had moved home, attended my first funeral, and booked a two-month-long trip around the world.

Third Place: 

INDIA’S TOXIC BEAUTY BY KATIE DIEDERICHS

The smell of cow dung assaults my nostrils and my skin is damp in the humidity. Stares of passersby burn holes in my skin and there’s a lump in the back of my throat growing steadily bigger. This isn’t the India I’d imagined.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: 

THE SPARK THAT SET THE FIRE IN SOUTH AFRICA by Silvia Martin

PASSIONATE RAIN FOREST DREAMS IN BRAZIL by Daniel Egan

NO SLEEP UNTIL STUNNING HONG KONG by Andrew Nash

Thank you to our esteemed judges, Alexa Meisler and Jessie Voigts! A great big thank you once again to all who participated in our Gratitude Travel Writing Award!  

Tell your story in our new Travel Writing Award and you could be the next winner! Stay up-to-date with WSGT through our blog, Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and youtube channel!

Caitlyn O'Brien

Caitlyn is a 26-year-old Canadian with a passion for travel, futbol, and more recently kayaking in her new Patagonian home: Futaleufú. She teaches English at a local school and loves turning her daily experiences into stories.

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