Stories are the foundation of We Are Explorers.
Since 2014 we’ve been sharing dispatches from across the country to inspire a life of adventure and connection to the natural world.
To mark the 10 year anniversary of We Are Explorers, we’re celebrating the talent, creativity, and storytelling of our community with an adventure storytelling competition!
With over $15,000 in cash up for grabs across five creative categories, it’s time to dig deep into the archive and share your writing, films, and photographs that best express those unforgettable moments of adventure and connection (and vote for your favourites of course!).
Submissions and voting opens on the 17th of July 2024 and closes on the 15th of August 2024.
Categories
Brought to you by Freely Travel Insurance
It’s time to write down your best campfire yarn in 800 words or less. From travel and adventure, to moments of connection with nature and each other. We’re looking for real human stories that are inspiring, funny, and downright unbelievable. A strong voice, great subject matter, and creativity are key! Pack us in your bag and take us on the journey with you.
Just one catch! Everything in your story has to be legal and we’re not after stories that happened because you were wasted.
Prize: $3000 cash!
Enter now
Brought to you by G Adventures
We’re looking for adventure tales that can’t be summed up in a single photograph and that words don’t do justice. While jaw-dropping visuals will tickle our tastebuds, storytelling and the spirit of adventure is the feast we’re looking for. Entries must be less than 5 minutes long.
Prize: $3000 cash!
Enter now
Brought to you by Dometic
We’re looking for an image that makes you stop to take it all in, and then drop everything to plan your next adventure. Whether it’s a depiction of the grit and determination that goes into seeking out some Type 2 fun, or the feeling of freedom, joy, and elation that comes with embarking into the outdoors.
Prize: $3000 cash!
Enter now
Brought to you by Up
You know the saying, ‘the best camera is the one you have with you’? Well, chances are you’ve got a phone in your pocket perfectly capable of taking a cracking photo and we want to see them. We’re looking for a moment oozing with adventure or natural beauty that makes us say ‘That was taken on a phone?!’.
Prize: $3000 cash!
Enter now
Brought you by charity partner Bush Heritage
We’re looking for an image that encapsulates the awe you feel when struck by nature’s beauty. From sweeping landscapes to intricate details, show us a side of nature we don’t often see or forget to look for. We want to see all elements and aspects of Mother Nature captured – flora, fauna, weather, landscapes – if it’s natural and makes you say ‘Wow’, this is where it belongs.
Prize: $3000 cash!
Enter now
Not quite, as with all of our competitions, MOMENTS is only open to residents in Australia that are over the age of 18 (this is a legal thing, we can’t ensure the comp adheres to all regulations globally).
You can only place one vote per entry, but you can make as many votes as you like across the five categories. You can also cancel your vote. (This might help you make your own shortlist.)
The entry fee helps cover some of the costs of building the competition website, hosting the event to show off the winners, and the cash prizes.
Yes! You can enter the competition as many times as you like. Each entry is treated separately and attracts the same entry fee.
Yes! Go wild! Campaign far and wide to get the most votes on your entry.
Almost! We just have to make sure the entries don’t reflect anything we can’t get behind, this includes: travel and mentioning of sanctioned countries, getting too close to wildlife, not following the principles of Leave No Trace, or getting intoxicated and making bad choices.
Check out our Terms & Conditions, particularly section 8 ‘Excluded topics and subjects’ for the lowdown.
Nope! But there is a maximum. Travel stories must be less than 800 words and videos must be under five minutes.
We’ll be checking the metadata for these to ensure it’s a valid phone photo, don’t try and get tricky here!
Once submitted, your entry will be approved by the WAE staff before being published here on this page where it can be viewed and voted on by the public.
You can share with your friends, aunty, uncle or teach grandma so that they can vote for your entry.
Once submissions and voting have closed, a shortlist of the most voted-upon entries within each category will be sent to the judges. They’ll then pick a winner!
Our judges are looking for storytelling that reflects the essence of We Are Explorers. Your creative entry should look to be a combination of authentic and adventurous, inclusive, and in touch with nature. We’ll look more favourably on stories from our own backyard (Australia and New Zealand) but we’re open to stories from overseas as well.
We’ve put together a panel of friends of We Are Explorers – influential writers, photographers, and filmmakers from the Australian outdoor scene who will pick the winners from each category’s shortlist. You can learn more about them below.
Each category winner will take home $3000!
But there’s more:
The entry with the most public votes during the competition period will win a G Adventures Classic Peru trip valued at $3849 and Freely Travel Insurance for their next trip valued at $1200.
There’s also a Dometic Adventure Pack valued at over $3400 for the shortlisted entry that receives the most votes at our 10 year anniversary party!