Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest

The Winner Earns $500 to Share their Living Abroad Experiences

Bahia view from Living Abroad With a Family in Bahia by Eleanor Stanford.

2010 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Winners
Many thanks for the many excellent submissions which were sent to us for the contest. In fact there were so many well-written and interesting pieces that it took us night and day to post them. The eclectic submissions ranged from excellent essays and narratives on being an expatriate to very useful practical guides on living abroad in a variety of countries. As far as we are concerned, all the submissions were potential winners and will be featured in a coming webzine issue (TAzine) —The Editor
1st Place	Living Abroad With a Family in Bahia by Eleanor Stanford
2nd Place (tie)	Teaching English and Living in Singapore by Nathan Edgerton
2nd Place (tie)	Coffee Culture Al Bar: A Many-Splendored Set of Italian Rituals by Estelle Jobson
3rd Place (tie)	Living Abroad and Working in Croatia as a Tour Guide by Alexandra Cram
3rd Place (tie)	Internship Studying Ancient Medicine in Modern China by Lucy Hordern
3rd Place (tie)	Living and Working in Istanbul: A Tale of Two Cities by Jo Knights
2010 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Runners-Up
A Working Holiday in New Zealand for the More Mature Gapper by Joanne Amos
Living and Teaching English in Hanoi by Joss Berret
Broadening the Expatriate Experience: Going it Alone in Japan by Camille Bromley
Expatriate Living in Kuala Lumpur as a “Traveling Spouse” by Cindy Childress
Living in the French Alps by Wendy Hollands
Living in Prague as an Expat: The Times They Are a-Changin’ by Sezin Koehler
Living in Cancun as an Expat: A Family Adventure Abroad by Ilana Long
Island Fever in Okinawa by Mary Richardson
Living in New Delhi: Choosing Your Own Adventures by Benjamin P. Rodgers

2009 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Winners
1st Place	The Anxieties of Otherness: Expatriate Life in Italy by Linda Lappin
2nd Place	A Different Pace of Life: Living and Teaching in Korea by Lindsay Nash
3rd Place (tie)	Aotearoa—"The Land of the Long White Cloud": A Year Living and Working in New Zealand by Lydia Horrex
3rd Place (tie)	I Always Knew I Would Return: Living and Working in Argentina by R. Wade Alexander
3rd Place (tie)	Opening the Door of Possibility: Living in Russia by Natalie Ridler
3rd Place (tie)	Shaking Up the Routine: From Corporate Cubicle to Casual Colonial in Porto Alegre, Brazil by Jenny Miller
3rd Place (tie)	Starting a New Life: Moving, Living, and Working in the Czech Republic by Pearl Harris
3rd Place (tie)	Volunteering and Living in Kenya by Anena Hansen

2008 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Winners
1st Place	An English Teacher in Vietnam: The Rooster in the Cafe, and Other Sights and Experiences by Nathan Edgerton
2nd Place	Living a Day at a Time in Small-Town Vietnam by Adam Bray
3rd Place (tie)	Outside the Metropolis: Happenings in Nagano, Japan by Chris Gladden
3rd Place (tie)	A Farewell Party, Korean Style by Sonya Natalia Heaney
2008 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Runners-Up
Awakened Dreams in Gölcük, Turkey by Karrie Hawkins Erenoğlu
Living in Beijing: "One World, One Dream" by Megan Rhodes
Living in Hong Kong: Hybrid Island by Micah Stover
Living in Nampula, Mozambique: Just Left of Paradise by Caroline Cowan
Living and Teaching in Thailand: "It Takes a Village" by Rachael Price
The Carioca Kangaroo: Accidentally Becoming Brazilian by Aaron Smith
Returning to Chaos: How To Be an Expatriate in India by Sonya Natalia Heaney

2007 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Winners
1st Place	Everywhere Is Home: Rhythms of Native Life in Fiji by Caroline Cottom, PhD
2nd Place	Essence of Japan by Rebecca Combs Tilhou
3rd Place (tie)	Feeling Comfortable With Strangeness by John Hillman
3rd Place (tie)	Go East, Young Man by Tom Hale
2007 Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest Runners-Up
The Real Kazakhstan: Eager to Attract Foreign Expertise by Paul Bartlett
French in the Fast Lane: Retire in Style on the French Riviera by Ferriel Brooks
On Being an EPIK Ex-pat: Teaching English in South Korea by Eileen Han
A Teacher's Tour of Duty in Taiwan: Rockets, Temples, and Tonal Languages by Brian Johnson

Guidelines for the 2011 Expatriate Writing Contest

TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2011 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad. Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well. Making the move to live abroad is for many the ultimate transition — often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, in other cases the result of chance and circumstance. We are seeking inspiring articles which also provide in-depth practical descriptions of your experience moving and living abroad, including discussions of immigration, personal and family life abroad, housing, work, social interactions with the natives, food, culture, study, language learning, and potential prejudices encountered. Apart from practical considerations what were the most important physical, psychological, and social adjustments necessary to integrate into the local communities? Feel free to include anecdotes about locals who may have aided in your adjustment to the physical conditions and social mores of the host community, as well as the role of expats in providing information and support.  While we welcome a good narrative, a listing, sidebar, and/or reference to the most important websites, publications, and other practical resources which have aided you in the cultural adjustment process or enhanced your life abroad is strongly encouraged to help others who may find themselves in similar situations or even similar locations. The inclusion of useful sidebars will likely help determine the winners of the contest. In sum, we do not seek diaries, travelogues, or personal blogs, but your own perspective in which the host country remains the primary focus, such that the color and taste of the people and land remain in the foreground. Please see the Living Abroad section of our site for some examples of the types of articles we are seeking and see our writers' guidelines for a sense of our editorial preferences. TransitionsAbroad.com will publish the winners' entries and will provide links to the authors' website or blog if so desired.

Contest Prizes

The first-place winner’s entry will receive $500, the second-place winning entry $150, and the third-place winner $100. Any other articles selected as runners-up for publication on TransitionsAbroad.com will receive a $50 payment.

Who is Eligible

The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring writers from any location around the globe.

How to Enter

Submit an original and unpublished essay of between 1,000 and 3,000 words relating to your experience living, moving, or working abroad. Focus should be placed on a description of the experience abroad and not primarily on personal feelings, as the descriptions and perceptions of the author should imply the personal impact. Supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format are welcome to illustrate the experience and are considered part of the essay submission. Please read the writers’ guidelines for Transitions Abroad Magazine, previous winners entries, as well as sample articles on this site for a sense of our editorial focus. To enter the Contest, attach your essay in Word format or copy and paste it into an e-mail. Please include your full name, complete postal address, phone number, and the bio you wish to display in the body of the email and on the document. Please type "2011 Expatriate Writing Essay Entry" in the subject description of the e-mail and send the e-mail to expatriatewritingcontest@transitionsabroad.com. The Contest begins April 1, 2010, and all entries must be received by February 15, 2011. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will require first-time North American rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will reserve the right to reprint the story in a future publication. Editors of TransitionsAbroad.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria: Sensitivity to the people and culture being described Ability to engage and inspire the reader Practical information which others can use Rich photographic/video illustrations Winners will be chosen on or about February 22, 2011 and notified by phone, mail, or e-mail by March 1, 2011 for publication by in early to mid-April, 2011 to allow time for contact, acceptance, and international payment to writers, some of whom live in remote regions of the world.

Contest Terms

There is no entry fee required for submissions. Decisions of the judges are final. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible e-mail or for any computer-related, online, or technical malfunctions that may occur in the submission process. Submissions are considered void if illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft. Submissions will be considered made by an authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners—along with any other runners-up accepted for publication—will be paid by Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. either by check or Paypal as preferred by the author. All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.