Matador Members Reach Semi-Final in Trazzler’s NYCGO Writing Contest

09/1/09  Print This Post Print This Post    9 Comments      Written by Julie Schwietert
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Photo: Ed Yourdon

$10,000 to live and write in New York City for two weeks? That’s what four Matador members have at stake in Trazzler’s NYCGO Writing Contest.

Sorry, it’s too late for you to get into the game, but four Matador members have made it into the semi-final round of Trazzler’s NYCGO Writing Contest.

At stake is a $10,000 prize and a most-expenses paid two-week stint to visit New York City, where the winner will spend his or her mini-residency writing about the city.

To get to this round, entrants had to make an initial editorial cut after submitting a short trip guide on the theme “Oasis.”

The initial pool of entrants has been culled to 200 semi-finalists. Visitors to the Trazzler site will vote for their favorite trips and the 10 entries garnering the most votes will move on to the finals. A jury will choose the grand prize winner. Even if you’re not a Trazzler member, you can vote for your favorite semi-finalists by logging in through your Facebook account.

Here are the Matador members who are in the running for the next round:

Katie Hammel:

Katie is a regular contributor to Matador Trips, writing frequently about her hometown of Detroit. She’s also written about Chicago, Denver, and Iceland.

Katie’s Trazzler entry is “Brunching at a Hidden Urban Oasis in Detroit, Michigan.”

Sabina Lohr:

Sabina is Matador’s expert on Martha’s Vineyard, an area she writes about frequently for Matador Trips. Her most recent Matador article is All Over the Map: A U.S. Festival for Each Month of the Year.

Sabina’s Trazzler entry is “Jumping Off the Jaws Bridge on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.”

Michelle Schusterman:

Michelle, a musician, Matador intern, and regular contributor to Matador Goods, currently calls South Korea her home base.

Michelle’s Trazzler entry is “Stumbling Onto a Bahiano Making Dende Oil in Santo Amaro, Brazil.”

Ryan Van Lenning:

Ryan is a writer, educator, activist, and regular contributor to Matador Change, where he writes about environmental and social justice issues.

Ryan’s Trazzler entry is “Lounging in the Turquoise Pools in Semuc Champey, Guatemala.”

Click on over to Trazzler to vote for these Matador members!

Community Connection:

We’ll forgive Katie, Sabina, Michelle, and Ryan for using the word “oasis,” but don’t be caught using it when you send a submission to Matador. “Oasis” is one of the 10 Words and Phrases We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again.


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About the Author

Matador ID: collazo

Julie Schwietert is the managing editor of Matador Network. She contributed a chapter to the recently published book, The Voluntary Traveler, and is currently working on five features for Fodor's Puerto Rico, 6th Edition.

9 Comments... join the discussion!

  • Michelle replied on September 1, 2009

    Oh my gosh, thank you so much!!!

    And good luck, Katie and Ryan!

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  • Sabina Lohr replied on September 1, 2009

    This is great! Trazzler tells us to be sure to publicize our entries to garner votes, but nothing I would have/could have done would have gotten the word out like this. Thanks a lot, Julie!

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  • Candice replied on September 1, 2009

    GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! So exciting!

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  • Ryan Van Lenning replied on September 1, 2009

    Really appreciate it Julie! Suerte Katie, Sabina, Michelle! Did I mention the pozas are Guatemala’s ‘best-kept secret’ and they are ‘breathtaking’, ‘exotic’, ’sun-dappled’, etcetera? haha!

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  • Katie Hammel replied on September 1, 2009

    Thanks to anyone who has voted! And you can vote for more than one trip, so feel free to vote for all of us.

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  • Hal replied on September 1, 2009

    Way to go folks. Best of luck to you.

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  • Ryan Van Lenning replied on September 1, 2009

    Really appreciate it Julie and everyone who ‘wishlists’ us! Suerte Katie, Sabina, Michelle. Also, in addition to being an ‘oasis’, you know those pozas at Semuc Champey in Guatemala are also ‘breathtaking’ and ‘exotic’. ha ha!

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  • vmcalves replied on September 1, 2009

    Good luck, everyone! :)

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  • alan replied on September 1, 2009

    I hope one of these members wins!

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