Keen to turn your passion for writing into a profession?
This year we want to send you to Beijing, China!

Crisscrossed by freeways, spiked with high-rises, this vivid metropolis is China at its most dynamic. For a thousand years, the drama of China’s imperial history was played out in Beijing, with the emperor sitting enthroned at the centre of the Chinese universe, and though today the city is a very different one, it remains spiritually and politically the heart of the country.

In this Travel Writing Scholarship, your assignment will be to get under the skin of this city of 22 million, discover the stories of the culture and its people, and write about it all, under the mentorship of two seasoned travel writers.

Here’s the deal:
First you’ll head off to Beijing to go on assignment for five days under the mentorship of Rough Guides writer Martin Zatko to review and update the Beijing chapters of ‘The Rough Guide to China’.

Then join international travel journalist and Beijing local, Kit Gillet, for an adventure into his backyard to explore some of the hidden, and not so hidden (camping on the Great Wall anyone?) charms of the city.

All of this writing is sure to work up a pretty serious appetite, so for the last leg of the scholarship, you will spend three days with Hias Gourmet getting well acquainted with the history, art and technique that accompanies the Chinese love of their cuisine.

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 an exceptionally 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 closes (April 19, 2013)
• You need a current passport with at least six months left before expiry.
• You must be available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in any way, 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 above all, a burning desire to become a professional travel writer!

What you’ll need to produce
Along with your work on ‘The Rough Guide to China’, you will be required to keep a daily travel journal on WorldNomads.com (no less than 200 words per daily entry), as well as produce three pieces to be published on World Nomads sharing your adventures in Beijing.

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 more importantly, is keen to be mentored.

As a guide, for the purposes of the opportunity, we would consider you to be professional writer if you have been published regularly in newspapers, travel magazines or travel journals. We would also consider you to be a professional writer if you derive more than 25% of your income from 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 2500 characters or less (this includes spaces) travel focused essay based on a personal experience around one of the following themes;

1. ‘Catching a Moment’
2. ‘Understanding a Culture through Food’
3. ‘A Local Encounter that Changed my Perspective’
4. ‘Sharing Stories - A Glimpse into Another’s Life’

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

2. Complete an entry form which includes contact details and a maximum 1200 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.

Applications close April 19, 2013 at 2pm (AEST)

Important Dates

**You need to be available between June 24th - July 6th, 2013 to participate on the assignment.**

• April 19 Submission deadline
• May 10 Winner confirmed and announced
• June 24 Arrive in Beijing
• June 25-29 Writing Assignment with Martin Zatko
• June 30-July 2 Mentorship & Beijing adventure with Kit Gillet
• July 3-5 Chinese Food extravaganza
• July 6 Depart
• August 9 Copy deadline

For more information, please visit official website: journals.worldnomads.com.

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