Travel Writing Scholarship 2012 - Southeast Asia

Do you want to be a published travel writer?

This year we decided to shake things up a bit and instead of choosing just one country for our scholarship…we’ve decided to send you off to three different countries in Southeast Asia! Once on the ground, you’ll have the opportunity to see for yourself life beyond the banana pancake trail, and get to know Southeast Asia from the local perspectives, through the eyes of three amazing writers.

Here's the triple-dip deal:

First you'll head off to Singapore to go on assignment for five days under the mentorship of Rough Guides writer Richard Lim to review and update 'The Rough Guide to Singapore'.

Then you'll fly to Bali and meet up with Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish, the online travel guide to Southeast Asia, before heading off on six days of cultural insight and adventure in Indonesia.

For the last leg of the scholarship, you will be whisked off to Malaysia for a food odyssey through Kuala Lumpur and Penang with former local and cookbook author of award winning hsa*ba Burmese cookbook, Tin Cho Chaw, to explore how cuisine shapes the lives of Malaysians.

Who can apply

* This opportunity is open to students, emerging and non-professional writers and lovers of travel looking for a career change.
* The scholarship is open to all nationalities, however, you must have a high degree of proficiency in written English.
* The opportunity is designed to give you a taste of what it's like to be a travel writer on the road, so you must be comfortable doing some travel on your own.

* Minimum age 18 by the date the scholarship application close (April 23, 2012)
* A current passport with at least six months before expiry
* You must be available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in anyway, you must be available for the entire assignment.

* You should be an exceptional writer with a lust for adventure travel, a desire to experience new cultures (and eat them!)and above all, a burning desire to become a professional travel writer!
Watch our video for more eligibility information and application tips!

What constitutes a professional travel writer?

Essentially this is a 'learning opportunity' for someone who is looking for an introduction into the travel writing industry and importantly keen to be mentored.

As a guide, for the purposes of the opportunity, we would consider you to be professional travel writer if you have been published regularly in newspapers, travel magazines or travel journals. We would also consider you to be a professional travel writer if you derive more than 25% of your income from travel writing.

If you have had a few stories published, or keep a regular travel blog then we would not consider this professional.

We would also like to further clarify that a professional writer of any sort (travel writer or otherwise) is not eligible to apply if they derive more than 25% of their income from writing.

Please consider the spirit of the program which is intended to help those with a burning desire to be a professional travel writer and need some help getting started.

Apply now

If you want it, you've got to show it. To apply you need to:

1. Write. Craft a 2000 character or less (this includes spaces) travel focused essay based on a personal experience around one of the following themes;

a. 'Understanding a Culture through Food'
b. 'A Local Encounter that Changed my Life'
c. 'Seeing the World through Others Eyes'
d. 'Giving Back on the Road'

It's up to you to convince our judging panel through your writing that you have the spirit of adventure and passion for travel writing to be chosen for this scholarship. We will be looking for:

- great descriptive ability
- strong eye for detail
- ability to uncover and tell a compelling story
- excellent spelling and grammar and a knack for avoiding clichés
Check out our video blog with Rough Guide editor Clare Currie for some writing tips.

2. Complete an entry form which includes contact details and a maximum 800 character essay on why you should be chosen and what the opportunity will mean for you. Your answer will provide considerable weight in the judging process.
3. One entry per person.
4. The entry must be submitted in English.

More information on: http://journals.worldnomads.com/scholarships/story/82158/Worldwide/Travel-Writing-Scholarship-2012-Southeast-Asia#.T1198YfC86o.twitter