The 4th Edition of the Travel Writing Competition 2024 came to a close with an awarding ceremony held at the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) offices in Kampala on January 31, 2025.
The event was presided over by UTB Deputy CEO, Mr. Bradford Ochieng, who commended the Uganda Uncovered team for promoting Ugandan tourism through travel writing.
Mr. Ochieng noted that the initiative has encouraged many Ugandans to explore their country and share their experiences in captivating stories, making it easier for UTB to market Uganda as a desired tourism destination.
He expressed UTB’s commitment to supporting the Travel Writing initiative and training of travel writers.
The competition, which started in 2021, has seen a significant increase in participation, with 54 writers in the first edition and over 317 participants in the 2024 edition.
Allen Irene Namisango, the Team Leader at Uganda Uncovered said that she is proud of the journey the competition has walked as it started when the world was just recovering from the ripple effects of COVID-19 but now steadily progressing and inspiring the Youth.
“We wanted to encourage people, especially Ugandans to travel and visit their beautiful endowments. We are grateful for the overwhelming participation each year,” MS. Namisango stated.
She noted that the first edition of Travel Writing Competitions held in 2021 saw 54 writers participating. The number has astronomically been increasing with over 317 participants registered in the 2024 competitions.
“These competitions are a trademark to the array of tourism activities we engage in. Several countries in the region have extended an invitation to us, to have a similar endeavour implemented in their
tourism sector,” revealed the Uncovered team leader.
All the Top 20 Travel Writers were awarded certificates and gift hampers from itel mobile phone company plus several branded apparel from the Uganda Tourism Board. The top 3 writers bagged shs500,000, shs300,000 and shs200,000 in their ascension order plus brand new mobile phones and fully paid-for-trip. The best writer was also given a timeless plaque Award.
Michael Turyakira emerged the overall Best Travel Writer of the year 2024, followed by Winnie Nakiboneka and Bushirah Nalutaaya came in the third position.
