Win a Sri Lankan food adventure!
The winners have now been announced.
Spend 7 days exploring the culinary diversity and culture of Sri Lanka.
We want to give three enthusiastic and hungry travellers the chance to go to Sri Lanka to better understand the dishes that can only come from a country that has been celebrated for its spices for centuries.
Wherever you are, whoever you are, you must eat. When this human necessity is combined with travel, many of us are reduced to giddy gluttons - eager to try everything that a new destination has to offer. We believe that culinary exploration provides not only the opportunity to fill your belly, but is also one of the best ways to learn about a culture and connect to the local community.
This is your opportunity to spend one week in Sri Lanka on an all-expenses-paid, custom food tour, courtesy of Intrepid Travel.
On your trip, you will meet your Sri Lankan mentors - speaking to local farmers and artisan producers, making curries in local kitchens, cooking snacks with street vendors, catching dinner with fishermen and cooking everything from hoppers to rotti to pickles.
Who can apply
Anyone can apply - this is open to food writers, bloggers, aspiring chefs, and just plain passionate eaters with a story to share! Below are the details if this sounds like you - Get writing!
- Minimum age of 18 (by application deadline).
- You must hold a current, valid passport (with 6 months left before expiry).
- The scholarship is open to all nationalities (subject to obtaining a Sri Lankan visa), however, you must have an exceptionally high degree of proficiency in written and spoken English.
- You must be available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in any way, you must be available for the entire assignment.
- You should be a mad-keen foodie with adventurous taste buds, a curiosity for all things culinary and an openness to interact with locals.
- You must be up for eating anything at anytime, pitching in with the cooking and cleaning up! Picky eaters need not apply.
- You must be very comfortable in front of the camera, and sharing your emotions and opinions with the world.
How to apply
To apply we need you to cook, snap and share with us your most memorable food recipe. Read on to find out exactly what you need to do...
- Submit a recipe (in English) with accompanying photos.
This can't just be any recipe, this recipe needs to come with a story. It could be the hand-me-down dhansak recipe from your Parsi grandmother. Or maybe the white bait fritters you learned to make on your trip to New Zealand.
Whatever it is, it has to be special (we don't want to see 50 borscht or apple pie recipes) and something that you think would transport other travellers to a new place, simply by making it at home. We want recipes with soul that make us miss a place that perhaps we've never even been.
- Tell us in 2000 characters or less (this includes spaces) the story behind the recipe and what makes it so special to you.
- Complete a 1500 character max essay telling us why you should be chosen and what the opportunity would mean to you. Your answer will provide considerable weight in the judging process.
- The entry must be submitted in English.
- One entry per person.
What the judges are looking for
We are looking for three culinary anthropologists to explore the history, traditions and social habits that define Sri Lanka's cuisine.
The three winning foodies will discover the techniques, the ingredients and the influences that make food from this Indian Ocean island truly mouth-watering - through visiting the sources and cooking alongside the local people.
Does this sound like your type of gig? Then it is up to you to convince our judging panel through your recipe, story and essay that you have the spirit of adventure and passion for food to be chosen for this opportunity. We will be looking for:
- a unique, drool-worthy, tried-and-tested recipe (with accompanying photos of the dish, cooked by you)
- a great story behind your recipe
- strong eye for detail
- a compelling reason why we should send you to Sri Lanka
What you'll be doing
Each food explorer will keep a daily blog on World Nomads documenting their culinary experiences in Sri Lanka featuring stories, photos and recipes from the road.
You could be tasting the Tamil specialties and fiery curries of the north, trying the world famous spices and sipping tea in the hill country or tucking into the fresh fish and buffalo curd in the south.
Learn more about what each of these regions have in store for your tastebuds.
You’ll also be able to visit the food security project that World Nomads travellers are helping to fund through Footprints micro-donations. You will get the chance to learn how Oxfam is promoting environmentally sustainable agricultural practices and supporting small scale group enterprises - by visiting of the the communities that are benefitting from the generosity of thousands of travellers.
While on assignment, all of the winners’ experiences will be filmed by an accompanying cameraman. That means if you win, you must be comfortable having every bite captured on film.
