Expatriate Writing Contest

TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2009 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest.

Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad. Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well.

Making the move to live abroad is for many the ultimate transition — often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, in other cases the result of chance and circumstance. We are seeking inspiring articles which also provide in-depth practical descriptions of your experience moving and living abroad, including discussions of immigration, personal and family life abroad, housing, work, social interactions with the natives, food, culture, study, language learning, and potential prejudices encountered.

Apart from practical considerations what were the most important physical, psychological, and social adjustments necessary to integrate into the local communities? Feel free to include anecdotes about locals who may have aided in your adjustment to the physical conditions and social mores of the host community, as well as the role of expats in providing information and support.

 While we welcome a good narrative, a listing, sidebar, and/or reference to the most important websites, publications, and other practical resources which have aided you in the cultural adjustment process or enhanced your life abroad is strongly encouraged to help others who may find themselves in similar situations or even similar locations. The inclusion of useful sidebars will likely help determine the winners of the contest.

In sum, we do not seek diaries or personal blogs, but your own perspective in which the host country remains the primary focus, such that the color and taste of the people and land remain in the foreground.

Please see the Living Abroad section of our site for some examples of the types of articles we are seeking and see our writers' guidelines for a sense of our editorial preferences.

TransitionsAbroad.com will publish the winners' entries and will provide links to the authors' website or blog if so desired.

The first-place winner’s entry will receive $500, the second-place winning entry $150, and the third-place winner $100.

Any other articles selected as runners-up for publication on TransitionsAbroad.com will receive a $50 payment.

The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring writers from any location around the globe.

• Submit an original essay of up to 1,500 words relating to your experience living or moving abroad. Focus should be placed on a description of the experience abroad and not primarily on personal feelings, as the descriptions and perceptions of the author should imply the personal impact. Supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format are welcome to illustrate the experience and are considered part of the essay submission. Please read the writers’ guidelines for Transitions Abroad Magazine as well as sample articles on this site for a sense of our editorial focus.
• To enter the Contest, attach your essay in Word format or copy and paste it into an e-mail. Please include your full name, complete postal address and phone number. Please type "Expatriate Writing Essay Entry" in the subject description of the e-mail and send the e-mail to expatriatewritingcontest@transitionsabroad.com.
• The Contest begins March 1, 2008, and all entries must be received by January 31, 2009. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will require first-time North American rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will reserve the right to reprint the story in a future publication. The writer may republish the unedited submission as desired after initial publication on TransitionsAbroad.com.
• Editors of TransitionsAbroad.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria:
• Sensitivity to the people and culture being described
• Ability to engage and inspire the reader
• Practical information
• Winners will be chosen on or about February 15, 2009 and notified by phone, mail, or e-mail by February 28, 2009 for publication by April 1, 2008 to allow time for contact, acceptance, and international payment to writers living in remote regions of the world.

• There is no entry fee required for submissions.
• Decisions of the judges are final.
• Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible e-mail or for any computer-related, online, or technical malfunctions that may occur in the submission process.
• Submissions are considered void if illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft.
• Submissions will be considered made by an authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry.
• The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners – along with any other runners-up accepted for publication – will be paid by Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. either by check or Paypal as preferred by the author.
• All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.