Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year award
News
Student and graduate shortlisted for prestigious Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year award
Thursday, 25 February, 2021Bath Spa University MA Travel and Nature Writing student Marc Jones, and course graduate Jennifer Thompson, are among four finalists shortlisted for the prestigious Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year award which seeks to identify and champion new travel writing talent.
The theme for this year’s award was “I’d love to go back”, with entrants invited to write about the destination they most want to return to when current pandemic travel restrictions are lifted. Marc’s piece, “The Man I Met”, focuses on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, while Jennifer’s “585 Bury Road” is a nostalgic recollection of visits to her grandma’s house in Bolton.
Speaking about his nomination, Marc said: “I'm thrilled to be shortlisted for the award. I've been writing for a number of years for myself, but under the great support of Stephen Moss and Gail Simmons at Bath Spa, I've started releasing some of my better pieces into the wild. To be shortlisted for such a prestigious award this early in my course is both a delight and also a reflection on the teaching and supervision there.”
In addition to Marc and Jennifer’s shortlistings, fellow MA Travel and Nature Writing students Jacqueline Hitt and Katy Partridge also featured in the award’s longlist.
Reflecting on this, Jennifer added: “I was encouraged by my tutors Stephen and Gail to enter the Bradt New Travel Writer Award as a way to boost my confidence and keep writing after the course had finished. I was thrilled to be longlisted, let alone make the shortlist, and to be alongside other Bath Spa University students makes the honour all the richer.”
The University’s Travel and Nature Writing Master's focuses on learning to write from one’s own experience in the field. Helping students to develop their writing skills and techniques, learn from established authors, and examine the history, context and genres of travel and nature writing are all central to the course.
MA Travel and Nature Writing course leader Stephen Moss said: "We are delighted that our students have been recognised for this prestigious prize, run by such a well-known publisher of fine travel writing”.
Gail Simmons, who teaches the travel writing element of the MA, added: "Travel writing is said to be everyone's dream job. There are many aspiring travel writers, but very few that make it to publication or national recognition. I'm so proud of our two students shortlisted in this year's Bradt competition, as well as the two who made it on to the longlist".
The Bradt Guides’ New Travel Writer of the Year competition has been running for over 20 years, and past finalists have gone onto successful writing careers with works published in a variety of newspapers, magazines and books. You can find out more about the award, as well as read the finalists’ entries, on the Bradt Guides website.