We’re happy to announce the winners of our hotel essay contest, which include one grand prize recipient, three runners-up, and three special awards that are a tribute to traveling moms.
By Mark Fedeli
Marketing and Editorial Director, Tablet Hotels
We launched our Write Away hotel essay contest in late November, fully expecting to announce the winners a few weeks after the January 11 deadline. But we never could’ve anticipated the massive number of submissions we received and the high caliber of writing across the board. There was a lot of wheat, very little chaff.
So we gave ourselves an extension in order to give each entry the respect it deserved. The downside of this decision was that it gave me more time to sit with the uncomfortable realization that dozens of worthy stories wouldn’t be winners — such was the level of writing quality. As a writer myself, that’s not something I take lightly. I was dreading the day that we had to lock in the finalists, found below.
To those who didn’t win, I’m sincerely grateful that you took the time to participate. Tablet Hotels is a passion project for all of us who work here and your contribution means the world. As a thank you, everyone who submitted an essay is eligible for a complimentary two-year Tablet Plus membership. There’s nothing you need to do now. We’ll reply directly to your submission email with all the registration details.
Due to the aforementioned avalanche of submissions, we decided to add a few more finalists to the four we initially planned. These three special winners were chosen because of how insightfully they addressed a subject that’s always worth a little extra attention: being a mom. These extra awards are our mom-orariums.
Without further ado, let’s look at the winners.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Our grand prize goes to Anna von Kuhn and her essay about Pillows Hotel Maurits at the Park in Amsterdam. Anna will receive a $500 payment, plus an offer to work with us on future paid writing assignments.
RUNNERS-UP AND MOM-ORARIUMS
Our runners-up, Nicky Hornsby-Clifton, Mikenzy Afdal, and Katherine Moffat will each receive a $500 credit to use on Tablet, as will our three thoughtful moms, Renata Lewis, Beatriz Marques Gouveia, and Nicola Shah. We’ll be in touch with all of you shortly.
You can find all of the finalist essays below. Congrats to all of our winners, and thank you once again to everyone who submitted.
Pillows Maurits at the Park
By Anna von Kuhn
The grand prize winner in our hotel essay contest is a story about Pillows Maurits at the Park in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Written by Anna von Kuhn, it’s called “The Picasso Nobody Photographs”.
Storfjord Hotel
By Nicky Hornsby-Clifton
The first runner-up in our hotel essay contest is a story about Storfjord Hotel in Alesund, Norway. It was written by Nicky Hornsby-Clifton.
Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
By Mikenzy Afdal
The second runner-up in our hotel essay contest is a story about Ballynahinch Castle Hotel in Connemara, Ireland. It was written by Mikenzy Afdal.
The Dorian
By Katherine Moffat
The third runner-up in our hotel essay contest is a story about The Dorian in Calgary, Canada. It was written by Katherine Moffat.
Hotel Nelligan
By Renata Lewis
The first special winner (mom division) in our hotel essay contest is a story about Hotel Nelligan in Montreal, Canada. It was written by Renata Lewis.
Salvaterra Country House
By Beatriz Marques Gouveia
The second special winner (mom division) in our hotel essay contest is a story about Salvaterra Country House in Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal. It was written by Beatriz Marques Gouveia.
Every Hotel
By Nicola Shah
The third special winner (mom division) in our hotel essay contest is a story about every hotel in the world. It was written by Nicola Shah.
Mark Fedeli is the marketing and editorial director for Tablet Hotels. He’s been with the company since 2006, and thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.