FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship: FAQs

What if I don't hear from you?
If I am a finalist does that mean I've won?
I am a home-schooled student. Can I participate in the essay contest?
Are international students eligible for an FTF Scholarship?
What about the winners?
What is Parent's Consent Form for finalists under 18 years of age?
If I receive a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize or Honorable Mention certificate, how will it be provided to me?
How do I submit my entry?
How do I submit my photos, artwork or videos?
What if I have computer problems and miss the deadline?
When is the entry deadline?
How will Teen Travel Essays be judged?
What style is most appropriate for Teen Travel Essays?
How long should entries be?
Who is eligible for an FTF Scholarship?

What if I don't hear from you?

If you applied to the 2009 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship and haven't heard from us by November 4, 2009, it means that you are not in the running for any of the Teen Travel Essay awards this time around. Applicants should be sure to look at travelBIGO.com after November 17, 2009 so you can read the winning essays and get yourself ready to enter again next year!

Travel Journals are selected for a Punzabo award each month and authors will be notified.
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If I am a finalist does that mean I've won?

If you are selected as a Teen Travel Essay finalist, it means you are being considered for a cash scholarship or for an honorable mention award. You will be contacted by November 4, 2009 and asked to submit a permission letter from your parents if you are under 18, and an official school transcript in order to be eligible. Documents must be submitted by November 4, 2009.
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I am a home-schooled student. Can I participate in the essay contest?

Yes, but you must be able to send us an official transcript if you are a finalist for a Teen Travel Essay Scholarship.

Remember, the Punzabo award for most popular Travel Journal is open to anyone.
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Are international students eligible for an FTF scholarship?

If you will be attending a junior high or high school in either Canada or the United States, or an International American or military-sponsored school abroad, you are considered eligible for a Teen Travel Essay scholarship.

Punzabo awards will be given out to most popular Travel Journals, with no special eligibility requirements. Citizenship has no bearing on eligibility, and the essay can be in any language.
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What about the winners?

Teen Travel Essay Finalists will be contacted by November 4, 2009. We're pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 FTF Teen Travel Writing Contest will be selected by a panel of professional travel journalists from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Travel's Most Trusted Voices. SATW promotes responsible journalism and encourages the conservation and preservation of travel resources worldwide. Winners will be notified by personal email November 13, 2009 and publicly announced on the travelBIGO.com and FamilyTravelForum.com websites on November 17, 2009. All submissions become the property of Family Travel Forum Inc. and materials will not be returned.

Each month, the Punzabo award-winning author will be contacted, and the winner's Travel Journal will have a Punzabo Award displayed on it. All submissions become the property of Family Travel Forum Inc. and materials will not be returned.
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What is a Parent's Consent Form for finalists under 18 years of age?

The Parent(s) written consent should be a simple note, signed and dated, that says your parent or legal guardian agrees to Family Travel Forum's posted Scholarship Rules and Terms of Use and has given you permission to enter the Teen Travel Essay Scholarship contest.

This consent must be submitted to our office prior to the deadline of November 4, 2009. It may be sent to us by email, fax or snail mail at the contact information posted online.
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If I receive a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize or Honorable Mention certificate, how will it be provided to me?

All FTF scholarship prize money will be paid directly to the winning author. The Teen Travel Essay or Punzabo scholarship prize money check, Honorable Mention certificate and any travel gifts will be mailed to your place of residence.
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How do I submit my Teen Travel Essay entry?

Submit your Teen Travel Essay essay by filling out the electronic entry form here. Fill out the form by typing in the fields. Copy your essay from any word processing program and paste it into the form, or type the essay into the space provided, and add photos or videos. Please email questions to us at FTFscholarship@travelbigo.com. No phone calls please.
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How do I submit my photos, artwork or videos?

Each article page or essay submission form accepts images with a cumulative file size of 2MB or less. If you are having trouble uploading images, please use photo management software to check the file size, then resize and save image to your hard drive before attempting to upload again. When you upload a photo or electronic scan of your artwork to a website, make sure the photo file name is all one word (for example, image cannot be saved as "my school portrait.jpg" or "DSC 0034.gif"; it must be "myschoolportrait.jpg" or "DSC_0034.gif" - without quote marks.) travelBIGO.com accepts .jpg, .gif and .png image files.

To upload your video from your YouTube account, click on the green "filmstrip" icon on the editing toolbar (next to italics symbol), then paste the youtube embed code directly into the Youtube Snippet window that appears. After you click "Save" a Flash player will appear in the body of your article and you can test out your video in Preview mode. If you do not have a YouTube account, please email your video file to editors@travelbigo.com and we will do it for you.
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What if I have computer problems and miss the deadline?

All Teen Travel Essay entries must be received by 11:59 EST on Tuesday, September 27 , 2009. Family Travel Forum (FTF) is not responsible for your equipment malfunction, problems with your internet connections or any other excuses for tardiness.

Remember, your Travel Journals can be posted any time and are eligible each month for the Punzabo award, because they are selected based on popularity with travelBIGO.com site visitors who use the online star system to vote for them.
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When is the entry deadline?

The deadline has been pushed back due to a server outage the site experienced and is now Tuesday, September 29, 2009 for Teen Travel Essays.

Any time is good for your Travel Journals.
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How will Teen Travel Essays be judged?

Each Teen Travel Essay will be read and ranked by a team of widely traveled teen reviewers and seasoned travel writers.
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What style is most appropriate for Teen Travel Essays?

Judges will evaluate Teen Travel Essay submissions based on creativity, originality, style and grammar, so any style is appropriate. Please proofread your essays carefully. Essays must be submitted in English.
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How long should entries be?

Teen Travel Essays should not exceed 600 words. There is no minimum word count.

Travel Journals can be any length and still be eligible for a Punzabo award.
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Who is eligible for an FTF Scholarship?

Any high school student or 8th grade student attending school in the United States or Canada, or an American school abroad, is eligible to enter the Teen Travel Essay contest as long as they are 13 to 18-years of age and currently enrolled in school.

If you are a younger writer, senior who has just graduated high school, college student or any one else that wants to share a travel tale, we welcome your submissions for consideration by all travelBIGO community members. One Punzabo award will be given out each month to the most popular Travel Journals -- with no special eligibility requirements -- if it's the top-rated travel tale chosen by site visitors. If you are interested in submitting your travel tale at any time, please sign up for the community.
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