Submit Your Story & Win!

Do you love the trails and outdoors in and around Ashland, Oregon? We want to share your notes from the trails!

Submit your story or blog and win a night stay at The Columbia Hotel!

We love the outdoors here at The Columbia Hotel, and we are looking to showcase some of the cool stuff to do outdoors in and around Ashland. With thousands of miles of trails, some of the best rivers in the country and fishing that is off the charts, we know there is so much to do here. Let’s tell that story!

We have created a blog “Notes from The Trails” to show our guests what they can do on a trip to Ashland. Do you like Mountain Biking, Trail Running or floating the Rogue River? Take some pictures, write a blog post about it and share it with us. If your blog is selected we will post it to our Notes from The Trails Blog, feature you as the author AND you win a night stay at The Columbia Hotel!

Sound like a fun way to win a night stay at The Hotel Columbia?

Read our Submission Rules below and submit your writing.
This competition is ongoing and we are looking for all kinds of outdoor activities.
We pick 3 to 4 winners a month!

Blog Competition Submission Rules:

Eligibility

  1. Participants: The competition is open to any individuals aged 18 and older. If you are under 18, please have your guardian submit your application.

  2. Exclusions: Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of The Columbia Hotel are not eligible to participate.

Submission Guidelines

  1. Content: Submissions must be original, unpublished content relevant to travel, outdoors, or experiences in and around Ashland, Oregon.

  2. Length: Blogs should be between 500 and 1,000 words.

  3. Format: Submissions must be in English and submitted in a Google Doc format.

  4. Title: Each submission must include a catchy and relevant title.

  5. Images: Participants are encouraged to include up to three high-quality, royalty-free images with proper attribution.

Submission Process

  1. Entry Form: Participants must fill out an entry form on this page, providing their name, contact information, and a brief bio.

  2. Timeline: This is an ongoing Blog Submission Competition. We are looking to select 3 to 4 winners each month and feature these outdoor adventures across our website, social media and emails.

  3. Submission: Blogs should be submitted via the designated submission form on this website page.

  4. Multiple Submissions: Participants may submit multiple blogs and continue to submit at any time.

Judging Criteria

  1. Relevance: The blog’s relevance to travel, outdoors, or experiences in and around Ashland, Oregon.

  2. Creativity: Originality and creativity in content and presentation.

  3. Engagement: The ability to engage and captivate readers.

  4. Quality: Overall quality of writing, including grammar and structure.

Judging Process

  1. Panel: A panel of judges from The Columbia Hotel will review all submissions on a weekly basis.

  2. Anonymity: Submissions will be reviewed anonymously to ensure fairness.

  3. Decision: The panel's decision is final and winners will be contacted via email if their writing is selected.

  4. Selection: Submissions may be selected over time depending on the need to fulfill certain content areas. Even if the submission is not used in the month submitted, it may be used a few months later for a seasonal promotion or content requirement.

Prizes

  1. Winner: The winning blogs will be published on The Columbia Hotel’s website on the “Notes from The Trails” Blog, and the author will receive a night stay at The Columbia Hotel. Some black out dates Your stay includes our Premium Ensuite Room for two OR a Bunk Room for 4.

  2. Exclusions: Black out dates apply, including all major US Holidays. This prize is a max occupancy of 2 adults in a King Room or 4 persons in a Bunk Room.

  3. Honorable Mentions: Up to three additional entries may be selected for publication and will receive [insert secondary prizes, if any].

Rights and Permissions

  1. Original Work: By submitting a blog, participants confirm that the work is their own and does not infringe on any third-party rights.

  2. Usage: Participants grant The Columbia Hotel a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish and promote the blog on our website, emails and social media channels.

  3. Modifications: The Columbia Hotel reserves the right to edit the blog for clarity, length, and appropriateness while maintaining the original message. We do however recommend your blog contains good search term keywords around your topic to help aid in the selection process.

General Rules

  1. Compliance: Participants must comply with all competition rules. Non-compliance will result in disqualification.

  2. Contact: Winners will be contacted via the email. If a winner cannot be contacted within 7 days, an alternate winner will be selected.

  3. Amendments: The Columbia Hotel reserves the right to amend the rules or cancel the competition at any time without prior notice.

We look forward to reading your submissions and wish you the best of luck in writing some great Ashland outdoor adventure stories for The Columbia Hotel!