‘Write 300 words on a familiar UK location by an ‘overseas tourist”

The HWS Travel Writing Competition was adjudicated by Carole Hastings who last year won  British Guild of Travel Writers’ New Travel Writer of the Year 2012 Award.

Carole Hastings writes:

The winning elements that I looked for were the same ones as the British Guild of Travel Writers use for the New Travel Writer of the Year Competition :

• Effective hook
• Unusual angle
• Local colour and or imagery
• Good structure

All the entries were good pieces of writing.  As James  McConnachie spoke of “when to strain against the leash”  this served as a creative guiding light in helping me choose the winners.  Leashes were strained to great effect…

First place: Gill Hollands – a Stowaway’s view on arriving in Southampton

Second place: Sue Spiers – a poem on Ishiguro at the Spinnaker, Portsmouth

Third place: Rosie Travers – powerful imagery of Hengistbury Head [This was Rosie’s first HWS competition entry]

Highly commended

Gopi Chandroth – Driving in Oxford – humorous piece

Paul Airey – Quadrophenia – highly original piece on a visit to Brighton