We’re excited to announce the fourth contest in our yearlong series of monthly Grantourismo travel blogging competitions. Once again, we’re inviting you to create an inspiring blog post comprised of one (1) stunning photograph* that captures your perfect vista and 250 words* that describe why this particular view touched you.
Your perfect vista could be a landscape, cityscape or streetscape – it could be a conventionally beautiful view, such as a sublime beach or it could even be a chaotic street or a ramshackle village that might not appeal to everyone. In your 250 words you need to tell us why the scene stirred your emotions, describe the moment you first saw the view, and why that image remains special to you.
If your post also touches on some of our other themes, and motivates people to explore more authentic and enriching ways to travel, get beneath the skin of a place when they travel, learn to live like locals, and travel more slowly and more sustainably, then that’s great too.
It’s important that your story and photograph must be your own, they must be original, they should derive from a firsthand travel experience you’ve had, and they should not have been published elsewhere. *Make sure you do not submit more than 250 words and you only post one (1) photograph, otherwise your entry will be disqualified.
FIRST PRIZES A stay at a HomeAway Holiday-Rentals property of your choice anywhere in the world valued at UK£500/US$750, a Context tour voucher worth US$100, and an Olympus FE-4040 compact camera worth £125/US$190.
SECOND PRIZE a Viator tour voucher worth £100/US$150 and a private half-day tour with a local guide in a destination of your choice anywhere in the world from Our Explorer.
THIRD PRIZE an annual subscription to AFAR magazine.
The winning entry will be featured on Grantourismo, HomeAway UK’s Facebook page, and we, HomeAwayUK, Viator and Context will tweet your success on Twitter.
To be eligible to enter
Entry submission is by posting and linking, and communication is through the Comments below and by Twitter, which means:
1. You must have your own blog or website, be a contributor to a group blogging site, or post to a travel site such as www.matadortravel.com, www.bootsnall.com, www.travellerspoint.com, www.travelpod.com, etc.
2. You need to subscribe to Grantourismo via email/RSS, join our community on Google Friend Connect (sign up from http://grantourismotravels.com/ not from this post’s URL as it will not work); and join HomeAway Holiday Rental’s Facebook page to enter.
3. You need to follow @Gran_tourismo and @HomeAwayUK on Twitter, then alert us on Twitter that you’re following us for the #GrantourismoComp and we will follow you back.
How to enter
1. Upload your original entry to your blog before end of 28 June. The sooner you do it the better it is for you, because we’ll visit your site to read your post, tweet about the entries, and other entrants will also visit your blog for inspiration.
2. Identify at the beginning or end of your post that “This post has been entered into the Grantourismo and HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition” and link to this post (so your entry appears in the Trackbacks below) and www.homeaway.co.uk. Tag the post with ‘Grantourismo’ and ‘HomeAway Holiday-Rentals’ so we and others can easily search for it.
3. Leave your name and link to your post in the Comments below – this serves as your submission. If there is no obvious way for us to contact you to notify you if you’ve won, then please leave your Twitter address below.
4. Tweet us on Twitter @Gran_tourismo and @HomeAwayUK to tell us your post is up, using #GrantourismoComp in your tweet, which makes it easy for others to find your entry also.
5. Encourage your blog readers and followers on Twitter to engage and re-tweet your entry post. We’re keen to hear their thoughts.
Winning Entries
1.We will notify winners by Twitter or email by 30 June.
2.Winners will be required to email us their photograph and blog post for publishing.
3.The winning entry will be posted on or soon after 1 July.
For more details, read the fine print below. If you have any questions, pop them in the Comments below.
The Fine Print – Terms and Conditions
1. Grantourismo monthly competitions are open to anyone aged 18 years or over except anyone professionally associated with this competition or the sponsors.
2. All information detailing how to enter the competitions forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
3. Submissions must be original, should not have been published before, should not appear on other blogs or websites, and should not infringe any copyrights.
4. Winners will be chosen by a judging panel consisting of HomeAway Holiday-Rentals staff; Scott McNeeley, Editor of the Viator blog; Context Travel staff; and Lara Dunston and Terence Carter. Judges decisions are final. The criteria used will include creativity, originality and quality of writing and photography, ability to engage an audience, and ability to inspire.
5. HomeAway Holiday-Rentals is offering a prize of £500/US$750 towards a stay in one of their properties listed on the HomeAway Holiday-Rentals website. The stay must be a minimum of 2 nights, although can be longer. The winner must use http://www.homeaway.co.uk/ to book the property. HomeAway Holiday-Rentals will release the funds to the property owner and transfer the remainder to the winner to be used toward the trip.
6. Winners will be required to write about their prizes on their blogs, link back to Grantourismo, HomeAway Holiday-Rentals, and the prize sponsor(s) above, and tweet about the post, using #GrantourismoComp.
7.Property stays and tours must be used within 12 months of notification.
8. While copyright of all submissions to the Competition remains with the entrants, winning entrant grants worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Grantourismo, HomeAway Holiday-Rentals and the sponsors to feature the winning entries on their websites, blogs, or in any publications or promotional materials connected to this Competition.
54 comments
10 pings
Keith Kellett says:
June 7, 2010 at 10:26 pm (UTC 11 )
My June comp entry up at http://travelrat.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/gredos-gate … a difficult choice to make!
Lara Dunston says:
June 9, 2010 at 1:08 am (UTC 11 )
Keith! Congratulations on being the first to enter this month’s comp! We should have a prize for that…
Lauren Williams says:
June 8, 2010 at 8:23 am (UTC 11 )
http://laurenameliawilliams.blogspot.com/2010/06/another-picture-of-portreath.html
Tweet: LaurenAmeliaW
Lara Dunston says:
June 9, 2010 at 1:10 am (UTC 11 )
Nice to see you here, Lauren! Thanks for entering the comp! Good luck!
Lisa Bergren says:
June 9, 2010 at 1:26 pm (UTC 11 )
Okay, I swear I’ll write about someplace OTHER than Italia for one of these contests…You have to quit asking for posts that scream ITALY to me!!! Here’s the link: http://theworldiscalling.com/2010/06/a-dream-realized/
Lara Dunston says:
June 13, 2010 at 8:27 pm (UTC 11 )
Maybe we should add a special rule for you next time, forbidding Lisa from entering anything on Italy – a little challenge for you!
Lisa Bergren says:
June 14, 2010 at 2:19 pm (UTC 11 )
That would just be mean and cruel. But a girl can try…
Laura Nazimiec says:
June 9, 2010 at 4:41 pm (UTC 11 )
My entry for June is posted at http://www.gomexicoguide.com/2010/06/capturing-the-colors-of-ecuador/
twitter @lauranazimiec
Lara Dunston says:
June 13, 2010 at 8:26 pm (UTC 11 )
Thanks for your entry, Laura!
Hannah says:
June 10, 2010 at 12:49 pm (UTC 11 )
Glad to be back amongst the entered here at GranTourismo:
http://hannahinmotion.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/perfect-vista-a-childs-eyes/
Lara Dunston says:
June 13, 2010 at 8:25 pm (UTC 11 )
Hi Hannah – thanks for entering our comp – good luck!
Leverne says:
June 12, 2010 at 11:09 am (UTC 11 )
Hi there love the idea of what you guys are doing! as first time contributor question- Is more than one entry per month allowed?
Terence Carter says:
June 12, 2010 at 5:57 pm (UTC 11 )
Greetings, you can enter as many times as you want!
Cheers,
T
Leverne says:
June 13, 2010 at 3:26 am (UTC 11 )
http://leverne.travellerspoint.com/1/
This was fun! Enjoy it!
Lara Dunston says:
June 13, 2010 at 8:21 pm (UTC 11 )
Thanks for entering our competition – we’ll go take a look! Best of luck!
Leverne says:
June 29, 2010 at 9:10 pm (UTC 11 )
Thank you for the comments received then…eventually! internet gremlins…. and a bit of a blonde moment….:)
Matt says:
June 13, 2010 at 5:59 pm (UTC 11 )
Here is my perfect vista, as realized in a single perfect travel experience.
http://landlopers.com/2010/06/13/perfect-vista-marrakech/
Lara Dunston says:
June 13, 2010 at 8:20 pm (UTC 11 )
Hi Matt – thanks for your entry! We’ll go check it out now. Good luck!
Tiffany Weber-Stahlbaum says:
June 15, 2010 at 12:26 pm (UTC 11 )
Too many visitas… but this one is personal.
http://tiffanyweber.blogspot.com/2010/06/footsteps.html
Lara Dunston says:
June 16, 2010 at 6:30 am (UTC 11 )
Thanks for your entry, Tiffany!
Sophie says:
June 16, 2010 at 2:19 pm (UTC 11 )
Here’s my perfect vista http://www.sophiesworld.net/most-haunting-in-the-pacific/
Happy to join again,
Sophie
Lara Dunston says:
June 21, 2010 at 1:59 am (UTC 11 )
Hi Sophie – thanks for your entry! We’ll go check it out now. Good luck!
Lisa Corcoran says:
June 17, 2010 at 11:36 am (UTC 11 )
My perfect vista: ‘Over The Rooftops’
http://www.travel-notebook.net/tn-features/2010/6/15/over-the-rooftops.html?SSScrollPosition=130
Unfortunately it has to have me in it as well!
Lara Dunston says:
June 21, 2010 at 1:59 am (UTC 11 )
Hey Lisa – good to see your entry! Thanks! Best of luck!
Heather says:
June 20, 2010 at 7:35 am (UTC 11 )
Here’s my entry! http://yummysushipajamas.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/my-perfect-vista/
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:32 am (UTC 11 )
Hi Heather! Thanks for your entry! Good luck!
Kristen says:
June 21, 2010 at 8:28 pm (UTC 11 )
Excited to present my first entry in your contest — hope you enjoy!
http://nonplastic.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/the-perfect-vista-kamakura-japan/
Kristen
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:33 am (UTC 11 )
Hello Kristen – thanks for entering! Best of luck!
neha says:
June 23, 2010 at 6:51 am (UTC 11 )
My entry – http://nehasweb.com/2010/06/23/dubrovnik-dairies-%E2%80%93-the-laundry-line/
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:34 am (UTC 11 )
Hello Neha – thanks so much for your post! Good luck with it!
Akila says:
June 25, 2010 at 5:47 am (UTC 11 )
Our perfect vista on a top of a New Zealand mountain is up. I’m having fun looking at all these lovely pictures this month.
https://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/the_perfect_vista
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:35 am (UTC 11 )
Thanks, Akila! There are some amazing pics, aren’t there? Great to see you here again!
Stephen Chapman says:
June 25, 2010 at 9:16 am (UTC 11 )
Posted up an entry this month…
My perfect vista
Cathedral Cove, New Zealand.
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:36 am (UTC 11 )
New Zealand, hey?! Good to see you here! Thanks for entering!
TheLuxPod says:
June 26, 2010 at 3:05 am (UTC 11 )
My perfect vista in Liepaja, Latvia from the LuxLoft terrace is posted, picture taken this morning. Greetings from the sunny Baltic Coast. Come and join us for the Baltic Beach Party in July! Best wishes, Judith http://web.me.com/luxpod/TheLuxPod/Blog/Blog.html
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:37 am (UTC 11 )
Well hello Judith! Nice to see you here, however, sadly, HomeAway Holiday Rentals property owners are prohibited from entering – conflict of interest and all. Sorry about that, but lovely to see you!
Keith says:
June 26, 2010 at 1:54 pm (UTC 11 )
My first entry into your contests: http://www.traveling-savage.com/2010/06/26/the-perfect-vista-glen-coe/
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:37 am (UTC 11 )
Hi Keith – thanks for your entry! I’ll go check it out now! Best, Lara
Leverne says:
June 27, 2010 at 5:29 am (UTC 11 )
Something closer to the heart and to home….
http://leverne.travellerspoint.com/5/
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:38 am (UTC 11 )
Always nice to see! Thanks for entering!
Sean says:
June 27, 2010 at 9:45 am (UTC 11 )
My perfect vista is Vigo, Spain…
http://www.seanandlauren.com/vigo-spain-seans-perfect-vista
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:38 am (UTC 11 )
Thanks for your entry, guys! Good luck!
Lola P. says:
June 27, 2010 at 10:11 am (UTC 11 )
Hi Grantourismo! Here’s my entry for the June contest!
http://lavielola.blogspot.com/2010/06/boats-in-brittany.html
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:39 am (UTC 11 )
Thanks for entering, Lola – best of luck with it!
Lindsey says:
June 27, 2010 at 2:46 pm (UTC 11 )
Very excited to submit my first piece for your contests! I do hope it speaks to the judges!
“The Nostalgic Pull of the Perfect Vista”
http://www.lostincheeseland.com/2010/06/nostalgic-pull-of-perfect-vista.html
Regards,
Lindsey
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:40 am (UTC 11 )
Hi Lindsey – and we’re very excited to get your entry! Merci!
Globetrooper Todd says:
June 27, 2010 at 4:15 pm (UTC 11 )
Hi Lara, I’ve just posted my entry and sent a tweet to the comp channel. All the best, Todd
Todd’s Perfect Vista
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:40 am (UTC 11 )
Hey there Todd – thanks for submitting an entry – much appreciated! good luck!
Lauren says:
June 28, 2010 at 5:19 am (UTC 11 )
My perfect vista is Tulum, Mexico. At first it felt tricky to summarize the power of this experience in 250 words. But the more I edited out words, the more the photo seemed to speak for me…
http://www.seanandlauren.com/tulum-mexico-laurens-perfect-vista
Lara Dunston says:
June 28, 2010 at 6:41 am (UTC 11 )
Wow! We haven’t been to Tulum in around 17 years! But loved it then! Thanks for your entry, Lauren!
Kristin says:
June 28, 2010 at 8:20 am (UTC 11 )
Please find my June entry over at MidLeap.
Enjoy!
Kate says:
June 29, 2010 at 2:08 am (UTC 11 )
Here’s my entry: http://talesofabritabroad.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-perfect-vista-city-of-seville.html
My twitter name is katebritabroad
Thanks!
Leverne says:
June 29, 2010 at 9:13 pm (UTC 11 )
Good Luck everybody! Enjoyed reading all the magnificent vistas, want to get my traveling shoes on …soon!
Lara Dunston says:
June 30, 2010 at 4:56 am (UTC 11 )
Thanks for your entries, everyone! This competition is closed now.
We’ll have the results out ASAP! And we’ll release the details for the July comp in a few days.
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