Photo by Sarah Giesecke

Remember those essays you used to write in the first week back at grade school, “What I Did On My Summer Vacation”?

Well now, the Guardian is giving you another shot at those early travel writing efforts of yours, with their Summer Holiday Travel Writing Competition.

Essays should be 500 words, and fit within one of the five categories. Each category includes a different free trip as a prize, with destinations as diverse as Syria, New Zealand and New York.

Winning essays – along with some runner-ups – will also appear in the Guardian’s travel section, in the August 30 issue.

Hurry! The deadline is Friday, August 22.

You must be a UK resident to enter. Details on categories and more here, the fine print on eligibility, etc, is here.