FTF's 3rd annual Teen Travel Writing Scholarship is open to teens sharing their travel tales in our community dedicated to travel "Before I Get Old" at www.travelBIGO.com

(New York, NY – April 23, 2009) - Family Travel Forum (FTF), the award-winning resource for family vacation information on the web, announces its 3rd annual FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship. This merit scholarship, in association with professionals from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), encourages teens to share their travel experiences in words and images.

Cash awards ($1,000, $500, $200) and a two-night family stay at any Homewood Suites Hotel will be given to the top three authors, and the work of 25 additional Honorable Mention nominees will be rewarded with fun -- two passes to any Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum or aquarium and a "Rand McNally Road Atlas" to help them find the way there. All winning stories will be posted on the FTF's travelBIGO site for those who dream of travel Before I Get Old.

“Family Travel Forum is proud to support the next generation of great writers by offering scholarships and a unique forum to communicate with peers,” says publisher John Manton. “After the 20% increase in applications last year, we are expecting even more submissions this year, and welcome students to share their vacation, staycation or voluntourism effort with the travelBIGO community.”

The scholarship contest is open to teens ages 13 to 18 who are enrolled in a junior high, high school or homeschool program in the United States, Canada or American school abroad. Young travelers are asked to submit a maximum 600-word essay with photo or video on any type of trip and any aspect of a trip they have taken in the last three years. For more information about the 2009 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship and other FTF sponsored scholarships, visit http://scholarship.familytravelforum.com.

The 2009 FTF Teen Travel Scholarship will accept applications between May 1, 2009 and September 27, 2009. The winning students' work will be published on travelBIGO after November 17, 2009.

About FTF

Family Travel Forum (FTF) has served all who "Have Kids, Still Travel" with print and online guides since 1996. FamilyTravelForum.com has won many awards for its expert global coverage of family vacations ranging from multi-generational cruises to eco-adventures; the Top 10 Getaway survey of resort-based infant programs; a robust Flee Market™; forums on car seat and travel safety; gear reviews; pediatric travel health and a unique Custom Trip Planning service for consumers. For its publications including travelBIGO.com for the Before I Get Old crowd, and twice monthly e-newsletters packed with vacation deals, FTF has been honored with Travel Weekly's 2008 Magellan Award.

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