Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Ortakoy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul, Turkey
Ortakoy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul. Photograph: Michele Falzone/JAI/Corbis
Ortakoy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul. Photograph: Michele Falzone/JAI/Corbis

Win a holiday in Istanbul

This article is more than 14 years old
Enter our travel-writing competition to win a long weekend in Turkey

What was your best travel experience in 2009? We want you to tell us about your holiday highs and lows from the past year – whether it was a glorious weekend in the Lake District, a life-changing trek across Namibia or a disastrous family trip to the seaside. Did you follow the 2009 trends – staycationing, escaping the eurozone, couch-surfing, cool camping and so on? How did you get on? This is your chance to turn travel writer: the best entries will be published in a special issue of Escape, later this year – and win a long weekend for two in Istanbul.

How to enter: email a piece of between 300 and 700 words to escape.competition@observer.co.uk or send it to Escape Competition, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Entries must arrive by Monday 7 December and you should focus on one trip or experience. A selection of the best entries will be published in Escape. These will be put into a hat, and a winner drawn at random.

The prize: A three-night trip for two to the 2010 Capital of Culture, Istanbul, courtesy of Hotels.com (hotels.com) and Turkish Airlines (thy.com), with bed-and-breakfast accommodation for two at the majestic five-star Mövenpick Istanbul Hotel and two return flights from London. The hotel is a perfect base to explore this beautiful historic city – see the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, shop in the Grand Bazaar, enjoy a traditional Turkish bath and experience the huge range of special events being staged to mark the Capital of Culture year (see istanbul2010.org). The prize must be taken before 31 August 2010; it does not include spending money, meals other than breakfast or ground transportation, and it's your responsibility to have a valid passport and arrange travel insurance. Further terms and conditions apply. For full details see observer.theguardian.com.

Terms and Conditions:

Prize: A three-night break in Istanbul staying at the five star Mövenpick Istanbul Hotel for two people (breakfast included) and return flights for two people from a London airport to Istanbul airport (ground transport not included).

1. The closing date is 7 December.

2. The competition is open to residents of the UK and Northern Ireland (excluding employees of The Observer, Turkish Airlines and Expedia, Inc).

3. Applicants must be aged 18 or over.

4. Only one entry per person is permitted.

5. Hotel accommodation will be provided for two people for three nights in a superior room at the Mövenpick Istanbul Hotel (five star rating, breakfast included). Usual booking terms and conditions apply and blackouts apply.

6. Any incidental expenses incurred at the hotel (meals other than breakfast, mini bar, laundry, spa, phone calls, internet access) will be the responsibility of the prize winner and their companion.

7. Validity of the prize cannot be extended.

8. Flights are provided by Turkish Airlines and will be provided from a London airport to Istanbul. Both the winner and their companion must travel at the same time on the same flight. Flights are subject to availability.

9. Prize winner and companion are liable for any tax liability accruing as a result of winning this competition.

10. The prize must be booked and taken by 31 August 2010.

11. The prize winner will be responsible for obtaining where necessary, valid passports and visas and appropriate vaccinations and inoculations. It is strongly recommended that travellers take out adequate travel insurance.

12. The Promoter and Prize providers cannot be responsible for unforeseen cancellations of flights or bookings.

13. Prize is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

14. It is the responsibility of the prize winner to be present at the appointed times and places. Winners not present for any reason or who arrive late at any stage will forfeit their prize.

15. Any person suspected of cheating, acting dishonestly or fraudulently in the opinion of the promoter will be excluded from the promotion.

16. There is no cash alternative and prizes are non-transferable.

17. No correspondence will be entered into.

18. Promoter: The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.

Most viewed

Most viewed