Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards 2015 - Final Call

Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards 2015
Final call for entries

The deadline for entering the Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards is 27 February 2015 for the writing and photography awards (that's this Friday!) and 6 March 2015for the New Travel Writer and Best Travel Blog of the Year awards. Thank you to everyone who has entered already, you should have received an email acknowledgement and receipt from me - if you haven't please can you contact me to check.

All winners will be announced at the awards presentation gala evening onWednesday, 15 April 2015 at the Heritage Hotel, Auckland - shortlists are not released.

The supreme winners of the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year and Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year awards will each receive double tickets to Zurich travelling with Cathay Pacific.
New sponsor Christchurch Airport will award New Zealand’s Best Travel Blog with a cash prize. Another new award, in the Travel Writing Category, is for the Best Responsible Tourism Story, with a prize sponsored by Travel Corporation’s Treadright Foundation.
TravCom is also pleased to welcome Maui and Destinations Magazine onboard as sponsors.

Writing awards
• Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award
• maui Award for the Best Travel Story over 1000 words
• Westpac Award for the Best Travel Story under 1000 words
• Heritage Hotels Award for the Best Travel Story about New Zealand
• Interislander Award for the Best Story about a Journey
• British High Commission and Tourism Ireland Award for the Best Travel Story about Britain and/or Ireland
• NZ Maori Tourism Award for the Best Travel Story about a Maori experience
• Treadright Foundation Award for the Best Responsible Tourism Story
• AA Directions New Travel Writer of the Year Award (separate entry form & deadline date of 6 March 2015)
Photography awards:
• Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Award
• Heritage Boutique Collection for the Best Travel Image taken in New Zealand
• Air Vanuatu and Mangoes Resort Award for the Best Travel Image taken outside New Zealand
• AA Directions Magazine Award for the Best Travel Image with People
• NZ Maori Tourism Award for the Best Travel Image that captures the essence of Maori.
• Destinations Magazine Award for the Best Unpublished Travel Image
Digital Media award:
• Christchurch Airport Award for the Best Travel Blog
Entry deadline: 27 February 2015 for writing and photography awards
Entry deadline: 6 March 2015 for new travel writer of the year and best travel blog awards

So how do you win these fabulous prizes? Click here to go to www.travcom.org.nzwhere you will find entry forms in full colour and easy-print versions (no pictures).

There are two new categories this year – the Treadright Foundation for Responsible Tourism Award and the Christchurch Airport Best Blog of the Year. The guiding principle of the Travel Corporation’s TreadRight Foundation is to encourage sustainable tourism development through conservation, leadership and support for communities. Entries could include stories about a low-impact experience or destination, an organisation or individual committed to sustainable travel or they may be an analysis of responsible tourism issues. This category will be judged by the international writing judge and is eligible for the supreme writing award.

The Christchurch Airport Best Blog of the Year award will be judged by a New Zealand-based digital media professional(s) who will focus on the quality of writing and the expression of the blogger’s unique voice and expression. The best blog will be entertaining and informative, well-written and well-produced, and demonstrate independent and original ideas and insights. Ideally, it will have been posted consistently and frequently during the preceding year. The judge(s) will also take into consideration the blog's appearance and use of photography/graphic imagery; engagement, interactivity; ease of use. The judge(s) will determine the winner on a points system, based on 70% content, 20% appearance, 10% engagement. This category is not eligible for either of the supreme awards.

A reminder, too, of a few changes and clarifications made last year:
1. Instead of a Best Newspaper and Best Magazine travel award we now have a Best Travel Story under 1000 words and a Best Travel Story over 1000 words. Travel Stories published in newspapers, magazines or online (on third-party travel editorial websites) in the past year are perfect for these two award categories.
2. The NZ Maori Tourism Writing Award has the following guidelines:
- The story should describe a genuine Maori experience the reader could be inspired to participate in or empathise with. This can include discussion with Maori about the meaning and history of what they are seeing/doing (e.g. being shown around a marae, looking at carvings) as well as taking part in an activity.
- The experience should impart an understanding of Maori culture: present-day and/or historical.
- The Maori element may be just one component of a larger tourism experience, as long as it is authentic, meaningful and genuinely part of the experience.
3. The entry forms no longer contain a stipulation ‘I have been / I expect to be paid for this work’
4. In the Photography awards there is no longer a limit of four entries per award category
5. Best Unpublished Travel Image award entries are not considered for the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Award. i.e. the portfolios will be judged on published work only.

If you have any queries please contact us and we’ll be happy to help. If you are not sure whether an image or story is eligible it’s worthwhile sending your query to the awards sub-committee who will advise yes or no. Email Helen.Davies@clear.net.nz
Please be sure to include all the information we need to register your entries, i.e. a copy of the story clearly showing the name of the publication, the date of the publication, your name as the writer or the photographer.

There are Tips on Entering the awards on the Travcom website: www.travcom.org.nz

And Good Luck! We’ll look forward to lots of lovely entries and another exciting awards event.

About Travcom
Travcom is a not-for-profit association of travel writers, photographers, broadcasters and travel-related communicators involved in promoting a high standard of travel writing and travel photography and in publicising New Zealand and international tourism. To reinforce the aim of encouraging excellence in travel writing and photography Travcom organises the annual Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards. Membership of Travcom offers good networking opportunities and benefits.

Find out more about the awards, prizes, entry criteria, forms, previous winners and how to join Travcom at www.travcom.org.nz

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