Essay Contest

In our ongoing series of essay contests, the topic for our last essay — Nice is nice — was announced in our May 2016 issue, and we began to receive submissions from travelers with clear affection for that city on the French Riviera. In spite of the unfathomable assaults that occurred there in mid-July, we continued to receive contest submissions, reflecting travelers’ recollections, impressions and emotions and what that city was, is and will continue to be.

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Did we get an idea of what we’ll find there and can we picture it? Were we given a sense of the culture or atmosphere of the place? Was there an experience or encounter described that lifted us? If any of these questions are answered in the positive, an essay is held in higher esteem by the ITN staff judges.

The essays submitted for this month’s topic, “I’m Bullish on Bulgaria,” were in a range of styles, and three earned rewards for the writers. Coming...

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The object of our recent essay contest, Brazil, inspired a number of travelers to put their impressions and ideas into words — and, from the submissions we received, it was apparent there was a lot of material to work with. ITN staff felt that three of the essays were standouts, and leading the pack was the work of PHILIP SHART of Tamarac, Florida, who will receive a 3-year extension to his subscription to ITN (or he can pass his prize along to friends). In second place was the essay of...

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When we print the winning entries to each essay contest every few months, it’s a pleasant reminder of ITN’s founder and original publisher, the late Armond Noble, who originated the contest and had fun coming up with alliterative essay topics.

The subject “Crete is Neat” inspired a number of subscribers to write, and ITN staff has completed the judging, with two submissions standing out above the rest. ANNE SUPSIC of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in first place, will receive a 3-year...

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We have an essay contest in play at all times, and, for the time being, we’re running through the topics chosen by the late Armond Noble, ITN’s founder and original publisher, as listed in his November 2010 “Departure Lounge” column. Armond was one for alliteration, so he couldn’t resist asking subscribers to write on “The Amazing Amazon.” 

ITN staff — with consistently widely divergent opinions — graded the many essays received on that topic, and the results turned out as follows....

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The subject “I’ll Praise Prague” inspired travelers to try very different approaches in writing their essays, making judging difficult. This month’s top essay, as graded by ITN staff, was that of NILI OLAY of New York, NY, who will receive a 3-year extension to her ITN subscription. In second place was the submission of JOSIE GIBSON of Rio Rancho, NM, whose subscription will be extended two years. The third-place winner was DEE POUJADE of Portland, OR, winning an extra year’s delivery of ITN...

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When travelers are asked to express what impressed or inspired them about a particular country, it’s not surprising that they write detailed descriptions of specific experiences, but it turns out that Kenya is a country about which the memories are especially vivid — a place offering out-of-your-ordinary-environment experiences. All of the essays submitted painted wonderful pictures in words, but ITN staff judged the works of three subscribers to stand out above the rest because they each...

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We knew the subject of our last essay contest would bring a flood of entries, and we were right. Lots of subscribers were inspired to write on the topic “It’s Italy,” and the submissions awere fun to read. In comparing the grades given the essays, it was amazing how the opinions of ITN staff members could vary so differently about certain entries. Sometimes it was over technical issues, but the results showed that everyone’s writing can move someone. 

In...

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