Enter Bradt’s new travel writer of the year competition now Enter Bradt’s new travel writer of the year competition now

If you have a yearning to be a travel writer, try entering your work in the Bradt Guides New Travel Writer of the Year competition and you could see it published in Wanderlust.

First established more than 25 years ago, this contest is open to all unpublished travel writers. And this year, Wanderlust is the official media partner. We’ll be publishing the entries from the four finalists, and the overall winner will win a trip for two plus a commission to write about it for us.

The winning entrant will be sent on a trip of a lifetime to China with Wendy Wu Tours. You’ll have the chance to walk along the world-famous Great Wall, be wowed the Terracotta Army in Xi’an and explore the skyscrapers of Shanghai.

The prize includes all flights, accommodation, meals and guided sightseeing, so the only thing you’ll have to worry about is what to include in your piece for Wanderlust. 

This year’s theme is ‘The kindness of strangers’, and you’ll need to submit between 600 and 800 words on this topic. It must be a true story, based on your own experiences, and written as a first-hand account in the first person and in English.

Judges for this year’s competition include Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides; Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides; and Jonathan Lorie, author of The Travel Writer’s Way.

You have until 24 November 2025 to submit your entry at bradtguides.com/new-travel-writer-of-the-year-2026.

Between 15 and 20 entries will be chosen for the longlist and published on the Bradt Guides website by 10 December. The shortlist – which will be published in Wanderlust – will be revealed in mid-January, with the overall winner announced on 18 March.

Best of luck!

More information: bradtguides.com/new-travel-writer-of-the-year-2026

Read next: Beyond the Great Wall: 15 lesser-known UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China