International writing contest for travel, lifestyle and entertainment guides
We invite all bloggers, budding writers and established authors with a passion for travel, lifesytle or entertainment to participate in the GuideGecko Writing Contest. The winners will get their titles published and showcased at the world’s largest book fair in Frankfurt, Germany in October, 2009.
The contest is now closed. Thank you for voting and submitting your guides!
Everyone! No matter if you are a blogger, a budding writer or an established author, we invite you to upload your guides and participate in the contest. All original submissions are welcome and there is no word/page limit. Guides that have previously been published on GuideGecko or elsewhere can be submitted as well.
The award is open to all travel, lifestyle & entertainment guides.
Are you a... ... Travel writer? ... Food writer? ... Lifestyle writer?
Sign up now to receive updates and future contest announcements. It’s free and we don’t spam. Promised.
Guides can be new publications or may have previously been published on GuideGecko or elsewhere. Participation is free and authors receive full royalties for their submissions. Authors also retain all copyrights of their work - we are as happy as you if you strike a good licensing deal on the fair and need to remove your guides from GuideGecko. See our publishing section for more details on how publishing on GuideGecko works and what we can do for you.
Prizes
1st Prize: A trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair and your title showcased on the fair!
We will prominently showcase your guide on the largest and most important book fair in the world - the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2009.
Get noticed by renowned publishers, maybe even signing a writing contract!
Present and sell your title to 299,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists!
Sounds to good to be true? Well, we even fly you to the fair (no matter where you are living), provide the accomodation and give you an all-days entry pass (valid for both the industry-only and the consumer opening days). Use our booth in the lively Hall 3 as a basis to explore the fair, meet directly with all renowned publishers, pitch your stories and titles, and perhaps even sign a writing or licensing contract on the spot! Then get ready for the public opening days and present your title to 299,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists!
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your career as a travel writer! [more info]
Plus: We'll also give you a free Lonely Planet guide book of your choice. How about the latest Germany edition, so that you can explore Frankfurt and its sourroundings?
2nd + 3rd Prize: Your guide showcased on the Frankfurt Book Fair!
We will showcase your guide on the largest and most important book fair in the world. Your title will be prominently displayed in our booth in Hall 3 (probably the liveliest hall on the whole fair), where 299,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists will see it. The booth is even covered in the official press tour. We will promote your title, answer any questions on your behalf, and - if you want - get you in contact with interested publishers and licensors.
Plus: A Lonely Planet guide of your choice.
4th + 5th Prize: A Lonely Planet guide of your choice!
You pick a Lonely Planet guide book of your choice from our extensive catalog, and we will deliver it free of charge to your doorstep. Lonely Planet guides are kindly sponsored by MPH Distributors Singapore.
How to win?
The winners are selected by readers' voting. The top five guides with the highest number of votes win. Each vote is cast by rating the guide (i.e., click on the stars in the description page of the guide). To be eligible, the guide has to have an average rating of at least 3 out of 5 stars. [How to vote]
How to participate?
The contest is now closed. Thank you for voting and submitting your guides!
Go to your My GuideGecko profile and register your guides for the contest
Only step 2 is required for guides that have already been published on GuideGecko. You may participate with as many titles as you like and there is no page limit.
To increase your chances of winning, we suggest that you promote your guide in your facebook profile and your blog or website. Also leave a comment on this page (no, we don't mind you praising your own guides here.)
Closing date
All entries must be received online by 24th September 2009, 23:59 HRS (GMT +8:00). So hurry up!
First day the fair is open to the public. And, wow! There are at least five times the amount of people here than the past few days. The square in the middle of the Messe is PACKED with people. In fact, the food lines that were so easy to hop in and out the first three days are now a big pain in the butt! All worth it, though.
The crowd is a bit more animated, reinvigorating the fair for those of us who have been here since Wednesday. Of interesting note are the multiples of young people who have dressed up as their favorite anime character. Costumes range from simple make up to more avant-garde interpretations. With Halloween just around the corner, I find it a bit appropriate.
Today, I get presented as the winner of the GuideGecko contest, so I’m looking forward to that. One more day to go!
-Karl (1st Place Winner of GuideGecko's Competition)
Not much news to report today. Last day before the fair is open to the public. Still lots of people here, though, and lots going on. GuideGecko had their happy hour today, so that was lots of fun!
-Karl (1st Place Winner of GuideGecko's Competition)
Found the buses! After walking around all day yesterday and letting my feet pay for it, I finally stumbled upon the buses that take you from hall to hall. Such a relief!
I have been spending lots of time in the International Area – primarily, the English speaking countries. In general, booths range from small independent publishers to large house-hold names, such as Random House and Harper Collins. The hustle-and-bustle of publishers and sales reps going to and fro meetings provides for a lively atmosphere as well.
There’s plenty of food going around with small cafes and restaurants both inside and outside. They provide a nice rest from the constant walking and talking. Yet, I find many publishers still taking meetings during their ‘free’ time, showing how every minute counts here.
-Karl (1st Place Winner of GuideGecko's Competition)
One word can sum up this place: WHOA! The enormity of this book fair is indescribable. Our hall alone takes ten minutes to just circle the perimeter. I’m excited to see what exhibitors are here and what companies are promoting themselves. Once I figure out how to navigate these grounds at the Festhalle Messe, I’ll be off exploring.
On another note, it’s nice to see my travel guide in its true form. While I can print a PDF file just fine, it’s cool to see it on display with a 1st place sticker on it! GuideGecko’s booth is small, but conveniently located, so lots of people are coming to check it out.
-Karl (1st Place Winner of GuideGecko's Competition)
Just corrected a small typo in the sub-heading(!) for this page. With so many people viewing this page, I wonder if nobody recognized it? Or was everybody just too polite to point it out?
This Year, China is the parter of the International Book fair in Germany. Everybody knows how strugling it is with China these days, how difficult to find the western prespektive of Democracy in this country. I live in China now for a couple of years and strongly believe: the only way to open that country is by slow and submissive contribution of western thoughts! Ho do do that? if more and more people travel China and bring their openess and western behavoir into the Country, it must change bit by bit. Thats why I wrote the Travel Guide for Chengdu, the Capital in Sichuan Province which got hit so badly in the earthquake last year where 70.000 people did. Help to open China, vote for The PocketTravel Chengdu!
If you've never been to South India, this is the story to read. It's honest adventure with more thoughtfulness than most novels. Most travel writing tells you where to eat, sleep and take photgraphs. This will give you a true experience. I urge you to read and vote. But most of all I urge you to let this memior and guide inspire you to have your own authentic travel experience in India or anywhere across the globe.
Don't even know where Galicia is? Believe me, you are not alone. Follow my guide to explore a singularly beautiful part of Spain, full of mystery, history, fun and exceptional stories, not to mention superstitions and witchcraft. All seen through the eyes of a single, woman traveler who knows a trick or two to get by just fine.
Thinking of a place in Asia to visit? You're at the right place, so read on....
Sick and tired of the common touristy sights, sounds and delicacies? Put your worries away and get your own copy of Hong Kong: A Diamond In The Rough! And the best part, it's FREE for download!
Follow me as i take you on the paths less-treaded, explore the nooks and crannies of this bustling city and discover the true gems that are hidden beneath the sky-scrappers. No Ancient ruins though, but when you dig deeper beyond the coldness of the modern city, you'll find things so authentic and traditional to the T. And trust me - to find these things give you so much more satisfaction than to be presented with it at first sight!
Your insider's guide to the unusual in your favourite destination. We shall eat what the locals eat, shop where the locals shop, and take a breather where the frenzied Hong Kong souls unwind.
Prices are high these days. Traveling to a country where those prices tend to increase? Oh, man! But fret not!
With Budget Travel in Japan, you will see how to take in four very diverse and prominent Japanese cities - Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka - without stretching yourself too thin financially. Focused on the free and cheap, this excellent guide will undoubtedly be an asset to your travels in the Land of the Rising Sun. Photos included are taken by the author himself and portray Japan as the unique country it is. So hop on a plane, get your JR Rail pass, and go explore!
I am submitting my travel guide series to the GuideGecko contest mainly because of its uniqueness and its contribution to the global effort to reduce pollution and carbon footprints. We in the travel industry have not done as much as we could in this regard. I believe that my travel guide series to sightseeing by public transportation is the world’s first and only series to be designed around public transportation. By encouraging people to use public transit in their travels I am encouraging them to travel 'green'. Although I've check-marked all of my guides in the series as entries, again, I am promoting the complete series as 'green' travel guides. If I had to select a few of my guides, I would choose my London, Paris and Honolulu and Los Angeles guides, because these are the most recent. But, if I had to narrow down to one single guide as exemplary in my quest to promote public transit to travelers, I would choose my guide to Los Angeles. This guide has been my greatest challenge and the achievement I am most proud of. They said it couldn't be done! They said you can't get around Los Angeles by public transit. I've proven the naysayers wrong: You absolutely can get to the top 50 visitor attractions in Los Angeles by public transportation, easily, comfortably, conveniently, and safely by the "LA Metro" and other public transit systems. My Los Angeles guide shows you how!
At last, the answer to the "Where can I get my passport stamped?" question frequently found on cruise-travel message boards, coupled with the author's experiences in obtaining them. It's a start - covering two ports in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos in addition to a sort-of-not-really "stamp" in Puerto Rico - and with two more cruises already booked, including a revisit to the Bahamas, a third attempt at Saint Martin/Saint Maarten as well as visits to new ports of call, readers can be assured of periodic updates bringing the latest information from this current newspaper reporter and photographer (the guide also has photos fthe author shot at the various ports of call as well.)
Beijing is a wonderful city to explore. My home for two years, it is full of fascinating and exotic places to visit. These are great for adults, but what's out there for kids to do. They get tired and bored easily. My book gives suggestions for parents (and grandparents) on things for kids to do, like fly a kite, go for a pedal-boat ride on a lake or start a photo collection of signs with sayings which didn't translate very well into English. There's also a "fun 'n games" section where kids can check off things they've seen in Beijing, such as a pagoda, or answer essay questions about their favorite Chinese food. Best of all, adults will have fun doing the same things as their kids. This is a niche guidebook -- other cities, such as London, Paris and New York have guidebooks that detail activities for kids. Now Beijing has one. Before "Parents Guide to Beijing," there really wasn't anything available, other than a couple of websites, to help parents keep their kids on track. This guidebook fills that gap.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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