Have you ever been to a new and exciting country that was so exotic and beautiful that you had to capture all of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions into a piece of writing?
If you have, then you could have submitted it to International Programs’ 1st Annual Travel Writing Contest.
Usually, this department sponsors a Travel Photography Contest every year, which is organized by Kelly Dougherty, International Programs’ Outreach and Marketing Coordinator.
Erin Joslyn, International Programs’ Study Abroad Coordinator, decided that this year there should also be a writing contest based on students who have traveled outside of the U.S.
There were not many limitations to entering this contest.
In fact, the topic was very open.
The entries that were submitted consisted of traveling experiences written in various forms such as poetry, essays, and journal entries.
The submissions could have been based on either a school associated study abroad trip or simply a family vacation.
Even though this contest was not highly publicized, 15 students did submit their entries.
The students that did submit their entries found out about this contest through three different sources of advertising.
One way was by re-entry mailing which is an e-mailing service that provides information for those students who have just returned from a study abroad program.
The second and third sources were the I.P. listserv and posters that were placed around the campus.
Despite the fact that Oct. 25 was the deadline for this contest, Joslyn is very hopeful that there will be another contest in the near future.
“This is a great opportunity for those who are serious about writing,” she said.
“The main goal was to have their own feelings incorporated into their essays and not just a description of the vacation or study abroad trip. ”
Presently, the process on trying to find judges for the contest is still proceeding, but if there are any faculty members or administrators who have writing or international experience can contact Erin Joslyn at her e-mail address: erinj@temple.edu.
Hopefully, by the end of this month, the winners will be announced.
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