I saw on today’s Travel and Tourism section of the Philippine Star newspaper. The first thing that caught my attention were the words “380-words story writing contest.”

With the intention of joining, I went on to read the rest of the article… only to find out that it is not for me.

The complete title of the article was “Singapore Airlines launches 380-word story writing contest” and is a contest for all who have experienced Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) A380.

Since I haven’t really traveled through air in my entire life, not even a domestic one, I really no stories to share about this. Easily, I can always do a made-up story just to join this contest… but then, it isn’t my style.

So, I’m doing the next best thing — blog about it!

There might be some people who have stories to share about this, and yet are not aware of this contest.

The contest is dubbed “SIA A38 & Me,” a writing contest by Singapore Airlines in cooperation with the Philippine Star. The contest is open to Philippine residents who has traveled on SIA’s flagship superjumbo aircraft — the A380.

And in line with the name of the aircraft, the contest challenges participants to describe their A380 experience in “no more than 380 words.”

This writing contest runs from March 14 to May 30, 2010.

Taken from the Philippine Star article, here are the rules for the contest.

How to join:

1. To join, a participant must be a Philippine resident, must have taken a flight on the A380, indicate the date of their travel on the A380 and the destination.

2. All entries must be sent with the published contest coupon cut out from the Philippine STAR Lifestyle Section. These coupons will be printed thrice weekly until May 30.

3. Entries can either be mailed or dropped off in two areas: SIA Manila office 33rd floor LKG Tower Ayala Avenue Makati or the Philippine STAR, Classifinder, in Greenbelt 1, Makati.

4. The most unique and interesting experiences will be chosen by the panel of judges.

5. The winners will be notified by June 20, 2010.

Prizes for this contest are:
First prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to any of SIA’s seven A380 destination (Zurich, Paris, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo or Hong Kong).

Second prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to Sydney or Melbourne on the A380.

Third prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to Hong Kong via Singapore on A380.

Eight consolation prizes will also be given.

Hmm… personally, I don’t like the sound of the “economy class” on the prizes. But sometimes, you don’t really care about the prizes, but the opportunity to express your creativity through these writing contests… and that’s the only reason I blogged about it.

The Philippines was included in the National Geographic’s list of “25 Best New Travel Destination in the World in 2010,” and it cited the country’s ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity as main reasons to visit the Philippines.

The magazine, in its November 2009 Adventure issue, said that the Philippines has “as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet,” adding that travel organization have “finally gotten wise.”

The list is directed at “travelers who want their dollars to do more – for others, for the planet and for themselves.” The “25 brand new adventures” presented by the National Geographic were described as “all of them just right for right now.”

The article further said that Wilderness Travel is organizing a trip to the Philippines in May 2010 which will “lead clients high into the 5,000-foot Cordillera Central then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment.” It will be a 12-day trip to the Philippines which costs $3,300.

The Philippines was described by Wilderness Travel in its website as a country which boasts of breathtaking hiking routes through ancient rice terraces and scenic mountain landscapes, cultural encounters with the Ifugao people and world class snorkeling in the “Coral Triangle.”

All of these will be experienced by travelers who would sign-up for the trip.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa said the inclusion of the Philippines in the list shows the global community is “taking note of the natural and cultural wonders in the country as well as the efforts to protect and preserve them.”