LONDON, Oct 24 — Globetrotters with a flair for photos and words are being invited to enter National Geographic Traveller UK’s annual photography and writing competitions.

They’re contests that give budding writers and photographers a global platform and a byline or photo credit in the international publicaton.

But to win the writing competition, scribes must be concise and economical as they have to squeeze their life-altering and inspirational travel experience into just 200 words.

The winner receives a 10-day trip through Vietnam for two people, including return flights from Gatwick with Vietnam Airlines, as well as the chance to write about their experience on the magazine’s online blog.

Less a scribe and more of a photo-storyteller? The photography contest invites shutterbugs with an eye for capturing distinct moments to submit their best snaps. The winning shooter will be rewarded with a 13-day trek through the Arctic aboard the Sea Explorer.

Want an idea of the caliber of writing needed to grab a National Geographic Traveller editor’s attention? The 2013 winner penned a richly evocative essay about the Huichol Indians of Mexico, comparing their physicality to the land they live in.

“Ravaged, cracked and ambiguous, the rocky landscape of western Mexico bears an uncanny resemblance to the skin of the Huichol Indians who inhabit it, as if it were somehow encoded into their DNA,” wrote Ben Taub in his winning entry.

“Studying the stony texture of the tribesmen’s faces it’s easy to imagine how they came to acknowledge the earth as their mother.”

The deadline for the writing contest in January 24, 2014, while the deadline for the photo contest is December 9, 2013.

For details on how to enter, visit NatGeo. — AFP