How to Enter

• Submit an original article up to 1,000 words. All articles should be geared on how to spend a full day, weekend or week focusing on our 2010 theme of National Parks.
  
• Supporting photos in .jpg format (at 72 dpi and at least 510 pixels wide) are strongly encouraged to enhance and represent the experience.
  
• Include a sidebar of all mentioned locations with web address, phone number and address.
  
• All entries must be your original work, in English, unpublished, and not submitted or accepted elsewhere at the time of submission.
  
• All submissions must be emailed and attached in Word format or pasted into the body of an e-mail. Please include your full name, complete mailing address and phone number. Please type "Travel Writing Article Entry" in the subject line of the e-mail and send it to travelwritingcontest@52perfectdays.com. We will do our best to confirm receipt of your submission.  If you have not heard back within 10 days please resubmit.
• Please include a 1-5 sentence bio with references to your websites, blogs, books and contact information. 52PerfectDays.com will publish the top four winners' entries as well as those selected as runner-ups. Additonal articles may be published in our Reader's Stories section.
  

Contest Prizes
1st Prize is a Trip to Oahu
2nd Prize is a Two Night stay in Palm Springs
3rd Prize is a Wordpress Website by ZD Design
4th Prize is a Tom Bihn Aeronaut travel bag

10 Additional Entry Runner Up will win a copy of Best Travel Writing "True Stories from Around the World" .

Who is Eligible: The Contest is open to freelance, professional, and aspiring travel writers who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia as well as Mexico and Canada and who are 18 years or older at the time of entry. Due to certain state law restrictions, residents of Arizona and Vermont may enter the Competition and compete for recognition but are not eligible to win cash prizes. The Competition is void outside these countries and where prohibited by law.

 

Dates & Other Important Stuff

The Contest begins March 1, 2010, and all entries must be received by October 31, 2010. 52 Perfect Days will require first-time North American rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, 52 Perfect Days 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 52Perfectdays.com.

The Editing staff of 52Perfectdays.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria:

• Article submission adhering to the theme of National Parks, National Monuments, National Seashores, National Historic Places
• Focusing on a whole experience. Truly how to spend a perfect day, weekend or week
• Ability to capture the sense of the location and experience
• Ability to engage the reader

Overall quality of writing

Winners will be chosen on or about November 30, 2010 and will be notified by phone, mail, or e-mail by around December 31, 2010 for publication on or about January 31, 2011.

GUIDELINES:
Tell us about your National Park holiday and you could win a Trip to Oahu with luxury accommodations at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, a two night stay at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, a Wordpress Website from ZD Design, a Tom Bihn Aeronaut bag or a copy of Best Travel Writing "True Stories from Around the World" .

Many of our readers are searching for new travel ideas, locations and tours. Travel to National Parks has been a family tradition for decades. Trips to these beautiful locations combine history, outdoor beauty, amazing lodges or camping and always offer a great story to tell. Share your adventure with our readers that captures the respect and appreciation for the awesome beauty that each and every park has to offer for a chance to win one of our great prizes!

Have you visited a National Park, National Monument, National Seashore or Historic Parks in the United State or Canada? We are looking for submissions written by authors who have firsthand knowledge of one of these amazing experiences. Need some ideas? Here are a few great websites to inspire!

Wikipedia List of United States National Parks by state
Wikipedia List of Canadian National Parks
List of Canadian National Parks and National Historic Sites from Parks Canada
US-Parks list of National Monuments
Wikipedia List of National Seashores

Articles should appeal to those who enjoy U.S. and Canada travel and are willing to get a bit adventurous. Whether you want to visit an active stay farm, backpack in a remote location to explore a protected watershed and learn about the flora and fauna along the way, or want to combine your vacation with volunteering in any organized capacity we want to hear your story!

Please offer engaging, descriptive pieces that really share the experience, culture and history of the location and not just a laundry list of things to do and where to go. We want the readers to be so excited reading your piece they can't wait to experience it themselves.

We Want: Writers to share in detail how to spend a perfect day, evening, weekend or week focusing on one of the following; National Park, National Monument, National Historic Place, National Seashore or Historic Parks in the United State or Canada. Please provide a well-crafted, proofed and spell checked submission that offers a thought out experience. One question the articles should address is what makes your story unique and worth it for our readers to also want to have this experience. 

We Don't Want: Travelogues or diaries or entries for locations outside of the United States or Canada. An entry fee. Yep, no entry fee.

Conditions of Participation. By participating, each entrant (i) agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of any sponsors and the Competition judges; (ii) releases and holds harmless Sponsor and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, and advertising, production and promotion agencies, and their respective employees, officers, directors and agents, from and against any and all liability whatsoever for any claims, costs, liabilities, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including but not limited to attorneys' fees and expenses, arising directly or indirectly out of or in connection with the Competition, the acceptance, possession or use of any prize, or any claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy, or the violation of any intellectual property rights. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Competition as solely determined by Sponsor. In the event the Competition is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Competition, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Competition. Should the Competition be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, judges reserve the right in its sole discretion to either declare winners and award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date, or declare no winners and award no prizes in the Competition. All federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations apply.