Guardian callout invites readers to share conservation travel stories

The Guardian’s travel section has published a callout inviting readers to document conservation tourism experiences, framing the exercise as a way to identify places and projects that help protect local ecosystems and cultures. The invitation asks contributors to describe encounters ranging from volunteering holidays spent planting trees in Scotland to stays at eco-hotels that support the protection of local flora and fauna, or initiatives that bring abandoned villages back into use. In return, participants are entered into a competition with a defined prize structure and a fixed deadline.

The rules are set out with unusual clarity. Entries are limited to roughly 100 words. Photographs may accompany a submission, but the judging criteria rest on the written words alone. The competition closes on Monday 26 October at 10am GMT, giving contributors a firm window within which to submit.

Additional reference context is available at https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/oct/19/tell-us-about-great-conservation-tourism-experience.

A panel decision determines the outcome. The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet, wins a £200 voucher for a stay at a Coolstays property, a company that lists more than 3,000 accommodations worldwide. The strongest tips will then appear in the Guardian Travel section and on its website, extending the reach of the selected contributions beyond the competition itself.

Eligibility rules form another explicit part of the process. For legal reasons, entry is restricted to UK residents, a condition stated plainly in the callout. Contributors are also directed to the terms and conditions governing the competition, as well as the terms of service and privacy policy that apply when using the submission form. Where technical difficulties arise with the form, a separate help link is provided, an acknowledgment that access to the process itself is part of its accountability.

The structure of the exercise reflects a broader pattern in how media organisations gather and use audience contributions. By publishing the judging criteria, the eligibility limits, the deadline and the appeal routes in advance, the organisers set out the rules of participation before any entry is submitted. The involvement of an external judge, Tom Hall of Lonely Planet, adds a named decision-maker to the process, and the publication of winning tips in the Travel section creates a visible record of what the panel chose to reward.

For readers considering an entry, the practical requirements are straightforward. A submission should describe a conservation tourism experience, whether a tree-planting volunteering holiday, a stay at an eco-hotel protecting local wildlife, or a project reviving abandoned villages, and should do so in about 100 words. A relevant photograph may be attached, though the written account remains the basis of judgment. Entries must arrive before the Monday 26 October, 10am GMT deadline, and entrants must be UK residents.

The full callout, including the submission route and supporting links, is published on the Guardian’s travel pages, where readers can also review the terms and conditions, the terms of service and the privacy policy, and find assistance if the form does not work as expected. Past winners and other tips are available for consultation, offering a view of what has succeeded in previous rounds.

As with any competition run by a public-facing institution, the value of the exercise lies in the transparency of its terms: who may enter, who judges, what wins, and when the window closes. On those points this callout is explicit, and contributors have until the stated deadline to take part. Whether the published record of past winners shapes future entries remains to be seen.