Rules for The Independent on Sunday / Bradt travel-writing competition 2011

1. By entering the competition you agree to be bound by these rules.The Independent’s standard competition rules (located at http://www.independent.co.uk/service/independent-competition-rules-759575.html) also apply.

2. The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or over. Previous winners of the competition, employees of Independent Print Limited (“IPL”) its regular contributors, agents and contractors, the promoters, and individuals connected with any company involved in the competition, including for the avoidance of doubt Bradt Travel Guides (“Bradt”) and the Competition Partners as defined below and members of the immediate family of the above people are not eligible to participate.

3. No purchase is necessary.

4. The competition willl be launched on 10 April 2011. All entries must be received by noon GMT on the closing date, Friday 20 May 2011.

How to Enter

5. There are two categories in the competition: one for “Published” writers and one for “Unpublished” writers. To be eligible to submit an entry in the “Unpublished” category you must never have been paid for any piece of writing that has appeared in print or on the internet.

6. Only one entry per person is permitted. Joint entries are not allowed and entries on behalf of other people will be excluded.

7. To enter the competition you must submit a piece of writing of between 600 and 800 words on the theme: “Up the Creek”, which must be a true story, based on your personal experience and written as a first-hand account, in the first person. You may interpret the theme broadly, as a metaphor, or literally.

8.1 For full instructions and to submit your entry online visit www.bradtguides.com/travelwriting

8.2 Your personal data will be shared with the competition partners Anatolian Sky, Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, Travellers’ Tales and Stanfords (“the Competition Partners”) and may be used by them and the promoters for marketing purposes unless you indicate that you do not consent to this by putting “NO MARKETING” in the subject line of your email submission.

9.1 Entries can be submitted by post to Bradt Travel Guides (Travel-Writing Competition), 23 High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9QE, UK.

9.2 Entries submitted by post must be typed with single-line spacing on one side of A4 paper. To preserve anonymity do not write your name and address on your entry; a single identifying tag word (not your name) must be included in the top right-hand corner of each page and you must write this word on the front of a sealed envelope marked either “Published” or “Unpublished” to indicate your category. Your sealed envelope must contain your name, postal address, email address, and telephone number and this information will be shared by the promoters with the Competition Partners and may be used by them and the promoters for marketing purposes unless you indicate otherwise.

10. Proof of submission or of posting of a form will not constitute proof of delivery and no responsibility will be accepted for lost, corrupted, delayed or mislaid entries. We will not return your entry to you.

Judges

11.1 The panel of judges will include three judges from Bradt, one judge from Travellers’ Tales and the travel editor of The Independent on Sunday. The winner will be selected from a shortlist by the travel writer, broadcaster and columnist Matthew Parris and announced at an event held at Stanfords travel bookshop in London.

11.2 The identity of the Judges may be requested by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Promotions, Independent Print Limited, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5HF.

Prizes

12.1 The Prizes (as defined below) will be awarded to the entries that the Judges consider to be the best in each category. The Judges’ decisions are final.

12.2 The shortlisted entrants will be notified by phone by 12 July 2011. All shortlisted winners will be invited to an Award Ceremony on 20 July 2011 at which the two winners will be announced. If either winner cannot attend the ceremony they will be notified by phone or email on 21 July.

12.3 The overall winner of the competition (the “Competion Winner”) shall win a holiday to eastern Turkey for two (the “Competition Winner’s Prize”) and shall be entitled to choose between either:

a) A holiday for the Competition Winner and a companion to eastern Turkey donated by Anatolian Sky Holidays in conjunction with the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, which must be taken by July 2012 and includes:

o Guided tour of Eastern Turkey

o Return scheduled flights for two adults with Turkish Airlines departing from London Heathrow, Birmingham or Manchester.

o 7 nights accommodation for two adults in 3 or 4-star hotels on half-board basis plus lunch

o Entrance fees and professional guide

o Transport in air-conditioned non-smoking mini/midi-bus.

o Departing on either:

* 25 September 2011 or May 2012 (date to be confirmed): Starts in Adana and ends in Van

* 30 September 2011 or May 2012 (date to be confirmed): Starts in Van and ends in Trabazon

Or:

[b) A tailor-made tour to eastern Turkey for the Competition Winner and a companion. This is likely to include B&B accommodation, rather than hotel accommodation and it may be for fewer nights and involve self-drive, rather than travel by mini-bus. However, it may be tailored to visit specific destinations and depart at a time agreed with the Competition Winner between September 2011 and end of July 2012.

12.4 Transport to the departure destinations in the UK is not included.

12.5 The prize for the winner of the Unpublished category (“the Unpublished Winner”) is a place on an overseas writing weekend hosted by Travellers Tales (the “Unpublished Winner’s Prize”). Transport to the course venue is not included and Terms and conditions on the Travellers’ Tales website apply see: www.travellerstales.org

12.6 In the event that the Unpublished Winner is also selected as the Competition Winner the judges shall select another unpublished writer as the Unpublished Winner and that writer shall be awarded the Unpublished Winner’s prize described in 12.5 above. For the avoidance of doubt the Competition Winner shall not receive the “Unpublished Winner’s Prize”.

13. The Competition Winner and the Unpublished Winner, (together the “Winners”) are responsible for organising valid passport(s), securing any necessary visas and complying with any relevant regulations or legislation relating to the Competition Winner’s Prize and the Unpublished Winner’s Prize (together the “Prizes”). The Winners are also responsible for taking out adequate insurance and obtaining health advice about any vaccinations required and any other health-related matters relevant to the Prizes. We accept no responsibility for any costs associated with the Prizes and not specifically included in the prize descriptions.

14. The Winners must communicate directly with Bradt about travel arrangements for the Prizes.

15. All elements of the Prizes including, for the avoidance of doubt, dates and destinations are subject to availability.

16. The Prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash or other prizes. We reserve the right to change the Prizes or to offer alternatives of similar value.

17. In addition to the Competition Winner’s Prize the Competition Winner will be commissioned by The Independent on Sunday to write about the Competition Winner’s Prize on terms and at the rate usually given to freelance contributors by IPL. Publication of the Competition Winner’s commissioned piece shall be at the discretion of the Travel Editor of The Independent on Sunday.

18. If the Competition Winner or the Unpublished Winner is unable to take up his or her prize for any reason, or if we have not been able, after making reasonable efforts, to make contact with one of the Winners, we reserve the right to award the relevant prize (without notice to the first winner chosen) to an alternative winner, in which case the first winner chosen shall not be eligible for any share of the prize whatsoever. We shall not have any liability in such eventuality.

Intellectual property and other rules about entries

19. Your competition entry must be all your own work. It must not contain any third-party content or infringe the copyright of any third party and it must not be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations. We reserve the right to exclude entries from the competition that we consider, in our sole discretion, to be in breach of this clause.

20. Your entry must not have been published previously or entered in any other competition anywhere in the world before the winners are announced.

21. Bradt shall have a non-exclusive right to publish all entries on its website and in print.

22. The Winners grant IPL and Bradt an exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide licence to first publication; and a non-exclusive licence to publish, syndicate, distribute, reproduce and exploit the material in all present and future media and formats and to sub-license these rights to others. For the avoidance of doubt there will be no payment for such publication.

23. We reserve the right to withhold the Prizes or either of them, in whole or in part if the Judges decide, in their sole discretion, that there are no entries of a suitable standard in either the Published or the Unpublished categories.

Publicity

24. The promoters reserve the right to publish the names of the Winners and the winning entries themselves, and the Winners are required to give their full co-operation to all requests by the promoters in connection with publicity for the competition, their entry, the Prizes or otherwise.

Miscellaneous

25. IPL reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change the rules of the competition while it is running if it appears to IPL that it would be equitable or appropriate to do so. This may include extending the closing date whereupon there will be an announcement of any such extension at the first reasonable opportunity.

26. No correspondence will be entered into or comment issued on any matters concerning the competition and no reasons given for any decision made by the Judges.

27. We shall not be liable for any circumstances beyond our reasonable control that prevent the competition being fulfilled, a winner or winners being chosen, or any prize being taken up or fully enjoyed by a winner. We exclude liability to the full extent permitted by law for any cost, claims or losses howsoever caused that arise by reason of any person's entry into a competition or the award, or non award, to them of a prize.

28. Names of the Winners will be available on receipt of a request enclosing a stamped addressed envelope to: Promotions, Independent Print Limited, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5HF.

29. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and interpreted according to English law and the English courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any disputes arising in connection with them.

30. Headings in these rules are for convenience only and shall not affect their interpretation.

31. Promoter: Independent Print Limited, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5HF and Bradt Travel Guides, 23 High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9QE, UK.