Win Cash and Publication
Many Categories for True Stories
Submit Your Story for the Solas Awards Here

Seventeenth Annual Solas Awards Winners

The Travelers’ Tales editors and this year’s guest judge Scott Dominic Carpenter announced the winners of the Seventeenth Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year on March 15, 2023. Grand Prize winner Cherene Sherrard collected $1000 and the gold award for “The Weight of Paradise,” her moving tale about surfing while Black off the beaches of Oahu, Hawaii. Brian Reisinger won the silver award and $750 for “Ambush on the Cumberland Plateau,” his multigenerational story about hunting wild hogs in Appalachia. Pier Nirandara took the bronze award and $500 for “To the Young Mom on Flight 1122,” her tale about a trip to South Africa that is marked by grief.

Scores of entries in 21 categories kept the judges busy. As usual, not every story that deserved an award received one. Here’s the complete list of winners. Winning stories will be posted on the Great Stories page and as Editors’ Choice stories on TravelersTales.com, and may appear in future Travelers’ Tales books.

Nineteenth Annual Solas Awards Open for Entries

Deadline for the Nineteenth Annual Solas Awards is September 21, 2024. The competition is year-round, however, so submit your stories any time. Winners of the Eighteenth Annual Solas Awards will be announced on or about March 1, 2024.

See the complete list of winners in the Seventeenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Sixteenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Fifteenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Fourteenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Thirteenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Twelfth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Eleventh Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Tenth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Ninth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Eighth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Seventh Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Sixth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Fifth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Fourth Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Third Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the Second Annual Solas Awards.

See the complete list of winners in the First Annual Solas Awards.

Travelers’ Tales Sponsors Solas Awards

Award-winning publisher Travelers’ Tales is the sponsor of The Solas Awards, an annual competition to honor excellence in travel writing.

Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.

Dates: You can enter year-round. The current competition closes on September 21, 2023.

Win Cash and Publication
Many Categories for True Stories

Grand Prize for Best Travel Story of the Year:

$1,000 Gold
$750 Silver
$500 Bronze

Awards in Categories:

Bragging rights for Gold, Silver, and Bronze (no cash awards in categories).

Enter one or more categories and you’re automatically entered for the Grand Prize.