The theme for our 2025 Travel Writing Competition is:
My Greatest Journey.
It could be about an epic train trip, bus ride, hike or horse ride. It could be about you and how a travel experience touched and changed you. It could be when something went very wrong or very right, break-downs or meeting like-minded fellow passengers. Or it could be a more personal journey, how you were changed by something you experienced.
The theme is broad and we look forward to reading all sorts of submissions!
To enter, send your article of 500+ words, to competition@puretravel.com with your name and email address. Please put your title at the Subject and paste your text in to the email body. Do not send attachments.
You could be our 2025 winner and take away US$500. You will also be published on our website.
Full details in the T&C’s below.
Remember, we support the work of the leading UK conservation charity Explorers Against Extinction, so by entering, you are supporting their work (don’t worry, its still free.)
The Judge: Jeremy Lazell
Jeremy Lazell worked for eight years as a trekking guide before turning to writing, a decision he’s had plenty of time to regret while sleeping in a hammock 200ft up in the Borneo rainforest for the Sunday Times, all but drowning in Scotland while rafting for GQ, and hooking nothing but his own cheek while fishing in Belize for Food & Travel. Based at the foot of the Scottish Highlands, where he lives with his wife and three boys, Jeremy writes about 90% of his material for the Sunday Times Travel Section, specialising in adventure travel, family holidays, and whatever round-ups help pay the bills. He has also worked for Conde Nast Traveller and Esquire magazines.
You can read the 2024 results, as well as the winning article by clicking below:
2024 PureTravel Writing Competition Results.
Terms and Conditions.
1. The competition is open to entrants worldwide aged 18 and over, with the exception of employees of PureTravel, their immediate families, agents, or anyone else associated with administration of this competition.
2. Closing date for receipt of all entries is midnight GMT on 30th September 2025.
3. There is one prize consisting of US$ 500.
4. To enter, send your article of 500+ words, to competition@puretravel.com with your name, email address and telephone number. Please paste your text in to the email body. Do not send attachments.
5. The initial short list of 10 will be selected on merit by a panel of judges appointed by PureTravel. The winner will then be selected by one independent judge.
7. The winner will be announced on Friday 28th November 2025 on the PureTravel website.
8. PureTravel will have the right to publish all entries on its website. Articles will be removed from the PureTravel website on request. The writer retains all rights to their entry beyond its publication on the PureTravel web site.
9. Entries limited to three per person.
10. E-mail addresses will be only be used by PureTravel for notifications on the competition. They will not be disclosed to any other parties. You can read our full Privacy Policy by clicking here.
11. There is no alternative to the prize offered and the prize is non–transferable.
12. If for any reason a winner is unable to take the prize as offered, the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to the next best entry.
13. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
14. The winner agrees to participate in any reasonable publicity required by the Promoter.
Promoter:
PureTravel Ltd, Registered Address: Happisburgh, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 0QQ
Photo by Tim Bogdanov on Unsplash
