The Association of Private Tourism Agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) has launched the Best Travel Journalism Contest. The contest is held under The USAID Future Growth Initiative with the support of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The main goal of the contest is to popularize inbound and outbound tourism, as well as to raise the professional level of journalists in the field of travel journalism.
Conditions for participation in the contest:
- Period of holding: from June 1 to September 30, 2024.
- Participants: Citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan or the Republic of Uzbekistan over 18 years old. Participation is voluntary and free of charge.
Criteria:
- An article demonstrating the high tourism potential and attractive aspects of the country (volume from 3000 to 5000 words).
- Travel video demonstrating high tourist potential of the country (timing from 5 to 12 minutes).
- Articles: Should be written in Russian or English, in an informative and engaging style with elements of personal impressions. The article should be unique (at least 90% on plagiarism check) and accompanied by high quality photos (at least 5 photos).
- Video: Must be narrated in Russian or English, in an informative and engaging style with elements of personal experience. Video content and accompanying text should be unique (at least 80% on plagiarism check).
Procedure for participation:
To participate in the contest, you need to send your creative works electronically to contest@apta.uz with the note “Travel Journalism Contest”. You can also send a link in the e-mail, which will allow us to view and download your work. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2024.
Each material should also be accompanied by the participant's data (full name, contact details, place of work/study).
Evaluation and awarding:
Works will be evaluated by an expert jury according to a point system. The jury includes travel industry experts, teachers of the discipline "Travel journalism" in universities, journalists and representatives of the contest organizers.
Membership of the expert jury:
Chairman of the panel:
Y.I. Sadykova - Coordinator of International projects of the APTA
Commission members:
Nasyrov M.D. - APTA expert, journalist (Republic of Uzbekistan)
Dzhangirov M.A. - correspondent and journalist (Republic of Uzbekistan)
Petrushkov M.G. - сhairman of the Board of the Tajik Association for Community Based Tourism (TACBT) (Republic of Tajikistan)
N.N. Kasymova - blogger, journalist (Republic of Tajikistan)
Olimsher Ashirov - specialist on monitoring (APTA) (Uzbekistan)
The winners of the contest in each nomination from each country (Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) will be determined by October 10, 2024.
Prizes for the winners:
- Best articles: Laptop computer for the winners from each country.
- Best Videos: Smartphone (iPhone) for the winners from each country.
We invite everyone to participate in the contest and show the beauty and uniqueness of our countries through lenses and words. May your works become an inspiration for many travelers and help to develop tourism in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
application_travel.docx (27 KB)
* By the decision of the jury, the contest rules were changed: articles of less than 3000 words were accepted.
** It was also decided to allow videos of less than 5 minutes in length.
These changes opened additional opportunities for participants, offering flexibility in the choice of submission formats.
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Results of the contest for the best travel journalism work
We announce the winners, whose works best conveyed the beauty and identity of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
All submitted materials not only fully complied with the contest parameters, but also were characterized by high professionalism and uniqueness. These works demonstrate the skill of the authors, have a depth of language and expressiveness that left a long-lasting impression.
Best video from Uzbekistan:
Oybek Ostanov - “Mysterious Jade Lakes of Urungach”
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y02n1ekALQ&t=201s
Best article from Uzbekistan:
Dinara Shamukhamedova - “The Last Guardians of Tashkent”
Read the article: https://nuz.uz/2024/01/26/poslednie-hraniteli-tashkenta/
Best Video from Tajikistan:
Alisher Primkulov - “Big Allo, the most beautiful lake of the Fann Mountains”
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/7RmZnL4onts
Best article from Tajikistan:
Dilshod Tagoymurodov - “The majestic and mysterious Murghab”
Read the article https://drive.google.com/file/d/17s9YD5OsZrrMiCtGSTaOnevdUmfu5qqb/view?usp=sharing
Prizes for the winners from each country:
-Best article: laptop
-Best video: smartphone (iPhone)
The award ceremony will be held on October 30 during the International B2B tourism exhibition “Tashkent Travel Mart-2024”.
The contest is organized under The USAID Future Growth Initiative.
We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contribution to the development of travel journalism!