You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Contests' category.
The London-based tour operator Black Tomato, voted ‘Best Travel Website’ in Guardian & Observer Travel Awards 2006 & 2007, is running a contest called ‘The Amazing Face Race’.
Here’s what they say about the competition:
“Portraits. We love them. Faces can tell a thousand stories in a way that words cannot. Hypnotic aren’t they? So in the spirit of hypnotism we want to see your favourites. Be it person, animal or art, just post the image on our interactive wall. Our favourite wins the ultimate Black Tomato trip and the more entries we get, the bigger the final prize becomes. You’ve got 3 months. Get loading.”
So far they’ve already had over 1, 072 entries, and the price is 5, 360 travel miles. The lucky winner gets to choose exactly where to go, so you have all reasons to enter the contest.
The only requirement: it has to be a face. I checked out some of the recent uploads and found pictures of children, travellers, locals, a hiker, a baby, a streetkid, statues, monkeys, a lion… even a crocodile!
Once you upload a photo, five travel miles are automatically added to the bank. So start looking through your old travel shots, or take a new one, and enter the contest before Friday 12th September 2008.
Calling all girlfriends, sisters, daughters and moms: Aspire, a marketing and training company, is sponsoring a global competition to select the top 20 girlfriend getaway packages for 2008. Open to women travelers and hotel/resort properties to submit their best girlfriend getaway experiences and packages including several representative photos. This exclusive list of top women-only adventures will be promoted nationally. Deadline: Sept. 15, 2008. Contact: Jennifer Whittle, jwhittle@mullenpr.com.
Play the new free trivia image game at Stay.com, “Guess the City”, and you can win a week’s hotel stay in one of the world’s major cities, based on your game scores.
You will see a set of pictures from the travel destinations available at stay.com and all you need to do is guess the city. The game runs until July 15 when the winners will be announced on the game’s home page and on the corporate blog http://travel.stay.com/
“Guess the City” is an introduction to what stay.com plans to become once the company launches its rebranded and redesigned site later this year.
“Stay.com has a vision of reducing or removing negative aspects of the travel experience by delivering a transparent online preview to our travelers. In doing so, Stay.com can reduce or eliminate the unknowns or confusions and allow people to stay where they truly want to,” said Joachim Paasche, Stay.com Founder and CEO.
When we travel, things don’t always go as planned. Have you ever experienced miserable mishaps or disasters abroad? Then, write down your story and participate in the fun travel essay contest by Inkwater Press and Dave Fox, author of Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad and Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip!). They are looking for your most terrible (and amusing) travel tales.
You can win a signed copy of both Dave’s books and a backpack with “secret” travel essentials. The winning essay will be featured on Dave Fox’s popular travel websites www.traveljournaling.com and www.davesbook.com.
Need to improve your writing skills? Buy a copy of Getting Lost to get some useful tips!
Visit www.inkwaterpress.com/gettinglost for more details or to enter the contest.
Entry deadline is September 18, 2008.
Tell your story (in 900 words or less) and you can win:
1. A backpack of travel essentials from Dave Fox, including helpful items as caffeinated soap for combating jetlag, a Point It picture dictionary to aid in everyday global communications, and the ever-popular Blist-O-Ban Adventure Medical Kit for those whose feet are unaccustomed to extensive world travels.
2. A signed copy of both Dave’s new books; Getting Lost: Mishaps of and Accidental Nomad and Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip!)
3. Publication of your winning entry on Dave’s popular travel and humor websites: www.davethefox.com and www.davesbooks.com.
Contest Rules:
All entries must be a true, first person account of a humorous incident or set of circumstances that took place while the author was travelling.
Essays may be submitted online at www.inkwaterpress.com/gettinglost. Stories must be limited to 900 words, and submitted by September 15, 2008. Only one entry per person will be considered; all entries become the property of Inkwater Press, and may be used for promotional purposes online or in print. The winner will be chosen by Dave Fox and notified by November 1, 2008.
Good Luck!
Last month, the Marketing Pilgrim launched their annual Search Engine Marketing Scholarship Contest to help one very lucky winner improve his or her marketing skills or start a career in search engine marketing.
The entry Turbo Charge Your Traffic With Flickr Groups by Julie Gallaher tells you how to use Flickr as a power tool to increase traffic to your site. Great information whether you’re looking to attract more blog visitors or just want to make the most out of Flickr.
This beautiful Paradise Cove sunrise picture belongs to Julie Gallaher’s Paradise Cove Malibu, one of her Flickr groups focused on specific destinations.
Visit Turbo Charge Your Traffic With Flickr Groups to learn how you can create Flickr groups, engage other Flickr users and grow your website traffic.
“In an effort to capture remarkable experiences shared by grandchildren, grandparents and parents, Grandparents.com has launched a fun contest designed to cast a lucky family in its upcoming and inaugural “Grandest Adventures” online reality series which will chronicle extraordinary experiences shared by grandparents and their grandchildren. The best part is - the family chosen to appear in the series’ debut series will spend eight all- expenses-paid days aboard a Regent Seven Seas cruise from Alaska to Vancouver, B.C., aboard the Seven Seas Mariner. Grandparents.com’s cameras will roll and capture what promises to be an inter-generational vacation of a lifetime.
To be eligible, families must include at least one grandparent and grandchild who will make the voyage, joined by as many as four additional family members, for a cruise leaving Seward, Alaska on August 27, 2008 and concluding in Vancouver, B.C. on September 3, 2008. Those interested in entering may visit www.grandparents.com/regentapplication for full conditions of eligibility and entry instructions, including required family information, guidelines for submitting a brief family story, and instructions for uploading a family photo and an optional short video. Deadline for applications is June 30, 2008.”
To me it is, as i replied to another question in an interview at the tripwolf blog; “The idea of discovering new cultures, neighborhoods, atmospheres, tastes, smells, sounds… basically everything we travelers experience when arriving in a new place… Overall, it’s exciting; not knowing what will happen, what you will see, who you will meet, and how you will like it. As long as we’re not afraid to try new things, whether it’s a food dish, an activity or just turn left instead of right, every day can be an adventure.”
Bombay Sapphire’s The Spirit of Exploration Blog recently held a travel story contest in which bloggers could submit their thoughts on ‘The Spirit Of Exploration”.
Erik Gauger who created the amazing site Notes from the Road wrote, in my opinion, the best entry. You can read and rate it at “What does the spirit of exploration mean to you?”
To read all submissions, visit http://blog.thespiritofexploration.com/.
The travel community YouPlanet recently launched a new travel competition with an estimated prize value of 7,200 Euro.
Here’s how you enter:
1. Join YouPlanet.
2. Add an article or place to the YouPlanet guide.
3. Click ‘Add to competition’ in the submenu. Done!
Your chances to win increases depending on the quality and quantity of your contribution.
The writer of the best article will receive a secret travel prize worth a minimum of 500 Euro, the best contributor gets an iPhone from Apple and the grand prize (which is drawn at random) is an adventure trip for two persons to South Africa, including flight tickets and accommodation. The lucky winners will get to dive with great white sharks, experience the world’s highest bungee jump, enjoy a luxury spa package in Cape Town’s 5 star SPA Twelve Apostles, and learn how to surf and try sandboarding with Downhill Adventures. Wow! What a dream trip!
To join the competition, visit Win the adventure of your life at YouPlanet.
The contest ends on August 31, 2008.
About YouPlanet
Founded in 2007, YouPlanet is a fully-packed travel community giving people everything they need before, during and after their travels. The travel guide gives people information and inspiration for living, eating, nightlife, the places to see and the things to do. The community allows people to find and stay in touch with new and old friends, upload photos and plan and share their travels. And with the unique ambassador program people can stay out traveling as long as they want, independently of their start budget. YouPlanet is a privately-held company and is headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Contest at Just Go! (http://aknickerson.blogspot.com/)
Win a copy of A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome!
How? Read on!
If you happen to be in Rome on May 24, 2008, you will witness a fireworks display designed by Michelangelo. According to Wanted in Rome, the spectacle is to be re-enacted at Castel Sant’Angelo.
“To celebrate the beginning of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s work in the Sistine Chapel begun 500 years ago this May, the elaborate firework display designed by Michelangelo, the so-called Girandola, will be re-enacted on 24 May at Castel S. Angelo.”
Win a copy of A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome!
How? Post ONE photo of the Girandola over at Just Go! http://aknickerson.blogspot.com/
The person submitting the best photo will win a free copy of the book.
Photos must be posted by midnight on May 26, 2008. Winners will be announced next week. One entry per person.
Are you an aspiring writer or photographer? Do yourself a favour and check out the recently launched website of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. Until June 30, 2008, writers and photographers can win various prices by submitting their travel stories, photography and videos. Luckily, the contest is open to people all over the world and there is no geographical restrictions.
Three top submissions, one for story, one for photography, and one for video, will be selected each month. The story and photography entry may be published in an upcoming issue of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. Also, the editors of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia will award a price to their favourite entry among the three finalists.
For further information, visit http://yourtravelandleisure.com
More about Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia:
November 20, 2007, American Express Publishing Corporation president and CEO Ed Kelly announced the sixth international edition of the world’s leading travel magazine, Travel+Leisure in Southeast Asia. Published by Bangkok-based Media Transasia, the magazine debuted in December 2007 and is distributed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Macau, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos.
”A burgeoning market is emerging in Southeast Asia with smart and sophisticated consumers who want an editorial product about up-and-coming luxury travel destinations,” said Kelly. “We are pleased to provide Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia to guide this passionate group through their future travel experiences.”
Apart from Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia that joined Travel+Leisure South Asia, American Express Publishing expanded with 20 foreign editions including Travel+Leisure China, Travel+Leisure Australia, Travel+Leisure Mexico, Travel+Leisure Turkey, Departures Japan, Departures Russia, several editions of Departures Europe, and Food & Wine China.
Did you know that 1.8 million consumers a month shop online for savings account? The top category for spending is travel/vacation. You can find several savings account options on the internet, but the only one that allows friends and family to help you reach your savings goal is SmartyPig. Recently awarded “Best of the Web” by NetBanker.com, SmartyPig is a simple, smart and secure way to maintain an online account while letting people you know contribute to your savings goal.
Simply decide what you want to save for, which category it belongs to, how much you want to save, and when you want to reach your goal and SmartyPig will suggest a monthly contribution that will be removed from your checking account. By reversing the “buy now, pay later” approach, it makes the money saving a fun and easy experience. Of all SmartyPig users, 30% are saving for travel. Opening and maintaining an account is absolutely free and once you’ve reached your goal SmartyPig offers an additional incentive boosts from best-in-class retailer partners like Amazon, Royal Caribbean, and Pleasant Holidays.
I’m happy to say that the team at SmartyPig has been kind enough to donate a $50 gift card to one of Blissful Travel’s readers.
To enter:
-
Write about this competition on your blog.
-
Include at least 50 words about SmartyPig.
-
Email the link to the post to erica.johan(at)gmail.com
A winner will be chosen in the end of April, 2008.
Note: All SmartyPig account holders must be citizens of the US.
For more information, visit SmartyPig.com.
Thanks to one of Blogetition’s latest contests, you can win $50 via paypal. There are several ways to enter, writing about the competition will give you the most credits.
Apart from blogging about the contest, you earn credits if you stumble/digg/reddit any of the content on the site, leave a comment on a post on blogetition.com, or submit a contest that doesn’t already appear on the site.
Fifty bucks aren’t that much you might think. Depends on what you’re looking for. You can always buy a few new travelogues, book a flight with a low-cost airline, it might even be enough for a stay at a nice B&B.
For more info about the competition, visit Blogetition holds its second contest - win $50 via paypal.
When I first read about Goldsmith Jewelry’s Giveaway and saw the beautiful 1 carat diamond stud earrings, I thought about Blood Diamond. Since I watched this movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, a conflict diamond smuggler in a 1990s civil war affected Sierra Leone, I’ve been very skeptical to the diamond market. And even though the situation in Africa is better, it’s still not solved.
Fortunately Goldsmith Jewelry use a reputable supplier in India who supports the Kimberley Process. Since conflict diamonds is such an important issue, I think they can inform website visitors that they cooperate with a dealer who stays away from conflict diamonds. Apart from this I have no complaints and can recommend Orlando based Goldsmith Jewelry to anyone. As the area’s most popular diamond broker, they specialise in premium diamond earrings and has been selling jewelry for over 30 years. They offer an extensive collection of first-class silver and gold earrings at competitive prices.
The lucky winner of their giveaway can choose between four styles of earrings, including the 14 karat gold earrings worth $1,518 pictured above.
Visit Diamond Stud Earring Giveaway by Goldsmith Jewelry for more information about the giveaway. The deadline is today and the winner will be announced on February 10th. Good luck to everyone. I’m pretty sure the winning blogger will jump of happiness! Just make sure to use the earrings in an appropriate place, that is perhaps during a stay at Hotel Sezz in Paris, when savouring a meal at El Bulli, during a romantic Valentine’s dinner, or when you’re at home and want to feel like a princess for a while.
Yesterday I was contacted with not so good news. It turned out that the Martinique contest, Vote and Win a Hotel Stay on Martinique, I was asked to join in December only allow entries from bloggers who are U.S. residents. I wish I was informed about that before telling my friends to vote. No problem though. And thanks to everyone who voted for my story! I appreciate it and hope one of you wins the stay at Sofitel Bakoua. Perhaps I will get the opportunity to travel to the West Indies another time.
I copied my entry below if you’re interested in reading about a fun day at the best amusement park in the U.S. For more info on Cedar Point, check out Favourite Amusement Parks: Liseberg + Cedar Point.
Millenium Force © Peter Hamza
A Thrilling Mini-holiday at Cedar Point
We fasten our seat belts, take a few deep breaths and stare up towards the red and blue tracks leading to an eighty degree descent. Millennium Force was ranked number one roller coaster in the world during eight years, now it’s our turn to experience the 300 feet vertical drop, the 122-degree overbanked turns and pass through the dark tunnels in this “giga-coaster”. We sit quietly, waiting for the train to pull out of the station. Strangely enough I’m not nervous, only filled with an intense anticipation.
Our mini-holiday began at The Fowler Center where we worked as Camp Counselors during the summer. After a few hours drive through a rainy Michigan, we crossed the state border into Ohio. Sleeping in tents outside as we had planned was out of the question in that horrible weather. Fortunately we caught side of a Holiday Inn outside Toledo, shared a double room and split the cost in three. A few hours rest and a tasty breakfast buffet later, we were ready to leave. Since it was my birthday my friends surprised me with a delicious chocolate cake and the waitressing staff came to our table singing Happy Birthday. I doubt I could have gotten a better start to the day.
We reached Cedar Point before noon. The amusement park which is often referred to as the most amazing park on earth is located on a peninsula in Lake Erie, between Cleveland and Toledo, in Sandusky. At the parking lot, we listened to all the screams coming from inside the park. Passing through the entrance, we could smell French fries and funnel cakes and hear the roar of Raptor as it flew by above us. Raptor has a perfect location next to the entrance and we couldn’t resist joining the line to this inverted roller coaster. Sitting in ski-lift style seats with lap belts and shoulder harnesses, our legs dangled free during the ride and we went upside down six times. When Raptor stopped, we ran straight to the line for a second ride.
I’m a real thrill-seeker and a day at Cedar Point can’t be anything else than fun. If you ask the millions of coaster enthusiasts who come here each year, I bet they will agree. It’s understandable because Cedar Point with its 17 roller coasters and various thrill-rides brings out the kid in us all, creating a carefree, and so-happy-you-want-to-jump feeling. We rushed from one attraction to another - Raptor, Mean Streak, Blue Streak, Magnum, Gemini, Wicked Twister, Power Tower - and absorbed the sounds, smells, and the cheerful atmosphere. While we waited in line to one carousel, a boy dropped his shoe from the top of the ride. It landed one inch from where I stood - almost as startling as the 10-story building tall freefall from Demon Drop.
When I feel the train pulling out of the station, my mind returns to the present. I get a big silly smile on my face as we move upward. At the top of the ride’s first hill, I look out over Lake Erie and the beach far below. The moment lasts a few seconds; I wish we could stay here an hour, just to admire the incredible view.
I turn backwards and see all first timers - they grasp firmly to their lap bars, avoid looking down. The roller coaster veterans already have their arms in the air. We pretend that we belong to them and when the train plunges toward the ground, we raise our arms.
I would gladly pay $41.95 for another day at America’s roller coast, Cedar Point.
Who doesn’t like contests? I just read about a contest where you can win a free domain name and hosting package for a full year. To enter you need to have blogged for at least 3 months, you can’t own your own domain name or hosting and you have to write a review of What I Say, the blog that launched this terrific contest. Make sure to read more about this at Free Domain Name & Blog Hosting. And hurry up if you want to participate because I think it ends today.
What I Say is run by Andreana, known as Dré, a Multimedia Arts student in her 20s who just like me loves the smell of rain, afternoon movie marathons and going to the beach. The blog has a nice design with interesting, personal and up to date content. Recent blog posts include a video of her sweet dog Booboos, a Technorati Love campaign, and the sad news of Heath Ledger’s death (I actually started crying when I read about it on the net, I will miss him). Apart from this, you can check out Andreana’s biography, favorites, wish list, photsnaps, and goodies such as articles and fictional stories.
So, why do I deserve to win?
I love blogging and have been updating Blissful Travel since April 2007. While writing for print and online magazines requires a specific tone, blogging allows me to write freer and I can share more personal things as well. I plan to keep Blissful Travel for a long long time (probably my whole life) and will do my best to share good travel tips, travel news and personal travel experiences with readers. So, it’s far from a temporary project.
Having another web host would give me more freedom and opportunities in terms of blog design and paid advertising. The last couple of months I’ve been contacted by different companies that were interested in banners, ads or paid links. But since I have a WordPress.com blog that doesn’t allow paid advertising, I had to turn them down. I wish I had my own domain, so I could work with sponsors, help them reach out to more consumers, and perhaps also join sites as Pay Per Post and ReviewMe. After all, I think most bloggers wish they could earn money on their blogging.
I do get by and freelance writing is definitely one of my dream jobs; I wouldn’t want to work with anything else right now. But I don’t get a regular monthly pay check and freelancing can be an unstable occupation sometimes. Some months I earn more, sometimes less. Having a free domain name / blog hosting would really be helpful to me.
Also, I recently started learning more HTML and would love to practice my skills somewhere. And what would be a better place than on my own permanent home online?
I got a bit carried away, so I’ll stop here.
Anyway, I wish all participating bloggers good luck and thank Andreana for a great, fun contest!
France Guide has this new contest where you can win a week-long hotel stay on Martinique if you vote for one of the stories at Color me Martinique. I definitely wouldn’t mind spending 7 nights at Sofitel Bakoua, apparently the island’s most luxurious hotel. I’m not a U.S. citizen though so I can’t vote, but they asked me to join the contest a while ago. The task was to write about the funniest or most exciting travel experience. Nothing has beaten our day at Cedar Point, America’s roller coast, so that was an easy choice.
Two of my favourites are Getting Lost on the Appalachian Trail and Christmas 1987, both of them are really funny and well-written.
I wish all bloggers good luck and I hope the winners get a fabulous week on Martinique. I’m sure they will!
Imagine waking up to a beach like this every morning.
The Thinking Blog 1st anniversary giveaway is in its final round. From today you have five days to vote for the best Ruff PC review. My Fujitsu Siemens Amilo A1650G is quite worn out by now and a brand new water resistant laptop would have been a perfect Christmas present. Usually I’m pretty lucky when it comes to contests, but you can’t win them all.
I remember the first thing I ever won, a white cute teddy bear at the amusement park Liseberg when I was 7-years-old. I still have it in my room at home. In 9th grade I received 4000 SEK in an essay contest and a few weeks later I won a Greece guidebook for island lovers in a slogan contest.
In high school I won Adobe Photoshop in a photography contest, and in January 2006, I was lucky to get the runners up prize of Vega’s Winterboost containing Echinacea, Propolis and Vitamin C from Healthy Soul. A couple of months later I won two great books in Newbie-Writers memoir contest. In September the same year I won a fabulous Refresh and Revive Pamper Day at Nutfield Priory’s Health and Leisure Club in Surrey. This year I won a cool iPod shuffle thanks to Travel Rants blog-a-thon challenge.
I wonder who will take home this price. To place your vote, just go to The Thinking Blog.
The Thinking Blog celebrates its one year anniversary and the upcoming holiday season with a Big Giveway. All participants have the chance to win a spanking new, water resistant, durable laptop by their current sponsor Ruff PC.
To join in the giveaway, just write about it on your blog. You don’t even need to write in English, as long as you follow the linking criteria your entry will be approved.
The RuffBook Tech laptop has a magnesium alloy casing which is 20-times harder than a normal plastic alloy base case, and the keyboard is completely unaffected by water. It simply succeeds where traditional laptops fall short.
Imagine being able to work without any worries about spilling water…
…coffee…
…or tea.
With a rugged laptop you don’t need to be concerned about mud, dust or rain. You can bring it wherever you want.
Sit outside…
…on the street…
…or in the forest.
For your chance to win a phenomenal RuffBook Tech, hurry up and enter before the deadline December 20th, 2007!
Writing is an addiction and some of us just have to let it out. The words in your mind craving to come alive on a piece of paper, on a word document on your computer, on your blog or somewhere else. Writers share the same passion, but they share their words in different ways.
Some people only use first-rate products for their writing.
Some people prefer to sit outside with a notebook.
Some people write in the sand.
Some people write on themselves.
And some people even write in the bathroom.
How do you write? And what do you write about?
If you are interested in travel writing you should definitely join Travel Rants Blog-a-thon challenge. You don’t even have to own a blog and the rules are simple.
Write a unique blog post that are useful for travellers and travel consumers on no more than 35o words. Include links to other travel sites if you want, but not your own. Submit your entry before midday (GMT) on 31 May 2007 and respect that the judges decision is final.
The entries will be featured at the Travel Rants Blog and the winner will receive €200 worth of Amazon vouchers donated by the sponsors SA-Venues.com. The runner-up can expect two Lonely Planet guides from Lonely planet.
Read about the Blog-a-thon challenge here or write the beginning of your entry now. If you like to travel and write, there is no reason why you shouldn’t enter the challenge.
Email your blog post to editor@travel-rants.com
Good luck!
Photos courtesy of www.photobucket.com
Recent Comments