Tag: competitions

This week at the Royal Highland Show: the best of food, farming & rural life

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TICKETS ARE NOW SOLD OUT

The Royal Highland Show is gearing up for the 2023 event taking place this week from Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th June at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston. 

The country’s largest agricultural event returns for a four-day celebration of the very best in food, farming and rural life. Visitors can expect to get nose-to-nose with prize animals, taste an astounding array of artisan food & drink and experience Scotland’s rural life at its most vibrant. 

What’s new this year 

The Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling Championships is an exciting addition to the show schedule for this year. Competitors from 30 countries from around the world including New Zealand, South Africa and Chile will battle it out on the stage to claim the championship – this thrilling display of skill is a must-watch on the Saturday and Sunday of the Show.

The Royal Highland Show will also see the culmination of the popular ‘Flock to the Show’ campaign, which saw 38  hand-painted fibreglass sheep travel around Scotland over the last couple of months.  

Come and find our flock at the Show, starting at the Macklin Motors stand in the Lifestyle Area, and travel around the Showground to see if you can find all the Flock and the clues attached to them. Enter the competition once you know the winning phrase and you could be in with a chance of winning a year’s supply of Taylor’s Crisps. 

The colourful Flock will be auctioned off in September this year to raise funds for the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland’s (RHASS) Bicentennial Fund. The bidding process will be launched at this year’s Royal Highland Show, so make sure if you want to purchase one of the Flock you keep a look out for more information.

Register your interest in an individual flock member here: 

royalhighlandshow.org/flock-to-the-show/ 

The new Agri Innovation Arena, located within the Agricultural Zone, will showcase some of the newest and most innovative products and machinery close up, with live demos and industry talks from leaders across all sectors of the agricultural industry.  

We have brand-new poles for this year’s Pole Climbing Championships. These have been donated in kind by Kirkennan Estate, Palnackie which is managed by Scottish Woodlands. In May this year, these 90ft poles were transported from Dumfries & Galloway to our Forestry Arena by Cadzow Heavy Haulage Ltd. Make sure you check out our new poles in action at this year’s Show. 

Fantastic food & drink 

The Royal Highland Show is a haven for food lovers – from the tasty delights of Scotland’s Larder food area to the huge range of takeaway options throughout the showground, visitors are spoiled for choice. 

Scotland’s Larder will be brimming with delicious food and drinks. Some are brand new to the market in Scotland, while others, like Glenkinchie, are global brands. Take the chance to meet the producers and hear first-hand from them why they love their products as much as we do. Don’t forget to check out The Bothy situated in the centre of Scotland’s Larder, with all produce supplied by Mimi’s Bakehouse. 

The Show’s Food Charter ensures that only locally produced and ethically sourced food is served at the Show – from delicious venison burgers and tasty fish and chips to a bowl of Scottish strawberries bursting with flavour. 

The Food for Thought theatre also offers an interesting schedule of events to attend, including chef demonstrations from names including ‘The Kilted Chef’ Craig Wilson, MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin, award-winning development chef Paul Terris, and head chef of The Crown Hotel in Peebles, Kirsty Elliot. Celebrating how Scottish food & drink has been enjoyed over the last 200 years is a key theme this year, alongside how science has helped develop and progress this industry. 

If learning speciality techniques is more your thing, then don’t miss out on Innis & Gunn’s Masterclass with Master Brewer & Founder, Dougal Sharp, and masterclasses in all things meat and butchery from the experts at Quality Meat Scotland. 

Innis & Gunn remains the Show’s official brewery partner and principal beer supplier and official sponsor of the Royal Highland Hoolie. This year you can hear from some of the Innis & Gunn team themselves in their beer and brewing masterclass in the Food for Thought Theatre. 

This year the Royal Highland Show has launched its own special ‘Golden Shears’ lager with Caledonian Brewing. This will be available in bars across the Showground. 

Lovely livestock and competitions 

Of course, the stars of the Show are the animals, and there will be over 5,000 of the finest animals competing over the four days. Sheep, cattle, goats, horses – there’s so much to see! 

From the adorable Shetland Pony to the majestic Clydesdale, there is so much to delight equine lovers. The showjumping Grand Prix is always a spectacle, as are the exciting Pony Club Games, as well as the incredible sight of the harness, grooming & decoration classes. 

The Show offers a unique chance to see top-quality livestock up close, including the iconic Highland Cattle and ‘the world’s cutest sheep’, the Valais Blacknose. Over 5,000 animals will be competing – including 1,044 cattle, 2,089 sheep, 2,087 horses & ponies, and 140 goats. 

This year at the Royal Highland Show, 57 Horse of the Year Qualifiers will take place, offering a variety of opportunities to qualify for the prestigious event held in Birmingham.  

Alongside the livestock and equine classes, there are numerous other competitions to witness. New for this year, the Scottish Dairy Championships display will be situated in the Food for Thought Theatre.

Step inside the Handcraft Marquee and witness some of Scotland’s finest handcrafts with this year’s competition theme being ‘Rainbow’. The Honey Marquee, located in the Countryside Area is not to be missed, as well as hosting a range of honey and bee related competitions. 

Entertainment for the whole family  

There is truly something for everyone at the Royal Highland Show. Away from the animal stalls and food tent, there’s plenty to catch your attention – from the thrilling heights of the Pole Climbing Championships, Chainsaw Carving Demonstrations, Axe Throwing and fingernail-biting mountain bike skills in the Forestry Arena.

To the more relaxed Countryside Area, where kids can try out circus skills, take Annie the Alpaca for a walk, get their face painted, learn some traditional woodcraft and wildlife tracking skills and let off steam on the play equipment. 

The Agri Innovation Arena is a new addition for 2023 and is designed as a platform for showcasing the innovative machinery and technology that is shaping the future of agriculture. Visitors will see the very latest tech on display and in action – a must for machinery enthusiasts! 

Meanwhile, qualifiers for Britain’s Fittest Farmer competition will be taking place on the Sunday of the Show in the Agri Innovation Arena. Launched by Farmers Weekly in 2018, it is a fun way of sparking a vital discussion about the physical and mental health of the nation’s farmers. 

Prepare for off-road fun with the Land Rover Experience Scotland, with an adventurous driving experience at the Show. Strap in and be ready for a bumpy ride as expert drivers demonstrate to you just what these fantastic vehicles are capable of.  

One of the many hubs for kids at the Show is the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Discovery Centre, where kids can learn all about the production of food, explore the life of the soil, plant some seeds, bake some scones and even milk Mable, the fibreglass cow all in an interactive and fun environment.  

If you can’t visit the Show this year, then luckily the Show can still come to you through the RHS TV, available to watch on the Royal Highland Show website all four days of the Show – with a special Golden Shears channel on Saturday and Sunday. With cameras streaming videos live from the showground, you can tune in wherever you are in the world to join in the action and experience a taste of the Show. 

Visitors are also encouraged to make use of the Royal Highland Show App to make the most of their day out – through it, you can view the Show programme, competition schedules and access a handy interactive map of the showground. New for this year, you can search for your favourite trade stand using the search bar in the app, explore the entire Showground at the click of a button, and don’t forget to check out RHS merchandise in the online store as well.  

Music & fashion 

The Royal Highland Hoolie, hosted in partnership with Farmer’s Bash, is an exciting addition to evening entertainment this year.

Taking place on the Friday and Saturday evenings of the Show, it will showcase some of Scotland and Ireland’s best homegrown music talent. 

Skippinish, Derek Ryan, Skerryvore and Lisa McHugh feature in the line-up for what is shaping up to be a fantastic couple of nights. Tickets to the Royal Highland Hoolie are still available and can be purchased on the day or in addition to your Show ticket.

Tickets for the Royal Highland Hoolie can only be purchased by those already attending the Royal Highland Show and have purchased a ticket for Friday 23 or Saturday 24th June. The Hoolie is only for those aged 12 and over, under 18s must be accompanied by an adult over 21. 

Fashion lovers are in for a treat with a fashion show by British Wool taking place this year. It will showcase the best of British wool across a wide range of brands including Harris Tweed and Lochcarron of Scotland. There will also be exclusive discounts at the Show across a range of British wool brands. 

Across the four days of the Show, we will have a fantastic line-up of traditional ceilidh bands, pipe bands and choirs, including Ian Muir Ceilidh Band who is a frequent visitor to RHS and guest on BBC Radio Scotland’s Take the Floor as well as Pipe Bands from West Lothian, Perth & Kinross and South Queensferry and the wonderful Farmers Choir. Head over to the West Stage where you can hear all of this and more from some of Scotland’s best jazz, folk-rock and bagpipes. 

Getting there 

A comprehensive travel plan is in place to ensure visitors can get to and from the Royal Highland Show as efficiently as possible.  

Hopping on public transport remains the easiest and most sustainable option for getting to the Showground.  You can travel by Edinburgh Trams all the way from Leith, through the City Centre to Ingliston Park and Ride where a shuttle bus will take you straight to the Showground.

Travelling by bus, Lothian Buses will have the 97 and 98 services running from Central Edinburgh direct to the Showground. It is best to book your ticket in advance, services for the bus and tram start at 6am. 

If visitors do want to take the car, booking your parking tickets in advance is required – there will be no parking tickets available on the day. 

Be sure to visit the Royal Highland Show website to plan your travel. 

The Royal Highland Show is the flagship fundraising event for organisers the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS). 

RHASS Head of Show, David Tennant, commented: “More than just a fantastic day out, the Royal Highland Show offers an invaluable insight into the story of Scotland’s food, farming and rural life.  

“There is truly something for everyone, whether you are interested in animals, machinery, food, or music – and you’re always sure to discover something that you’ve never seen before. 

“With Friday and Saturday tickets selling out last year and the very last few remaining for this year’s event, we’d recommend purchasing soon if you haven’t already to avoid last-minute disappointment! 

Sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, the Royal Highland Show will take place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh, on 22-25 June 2023. 

Tickets, including for car parking, must be pre-purchased online, with no tickets available to buy on the gate. Tickets are limited in number and it is advised to purchase early – especially with the new addition of the Royal Highland Hoolie music event on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th this year.  

Friday and Saturday tickets for the Royal Highland Show have now sold out following huge demand for the event taking place later this week at Ingliston (22-25 June).

This follows organisers the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) increasing capacity by 5,000 tickets per day, bringing the total daily capacity to 55,000.

This year over 200,000 visitors are expected to be welcomed to the Show.

For further information and to purchase tickets please visit royalhighlandshow.org. 

Granton’s Sam to showcase her skills

sam-laird-gym-instructor-1

A student from Granton is set to travel to Birmingham to show off her talent as a gym instructor to more than 70,000 spectators at the nation’s largest skills and careers event. Sam Laird has been selected to represent City of Glasgow College in the Gym Instructor category at The Skills Show 2016 and is hoping to bring home a medal and advance to the finals of WorldSkills, a competition dubbed ‘the skills Olympics’. Continue reading Granton’s Sam to showcase her skills

Popping up on The Mound …

Winning design

Edinburgh-based Konishi Gaffney Architects is the winner of a competition to design a temporary pavilion as Edinburgh’s entry to the Pop-Up Cities Expo, a headline event for the Festival of Architecture and part of the Year of Innovation Architecture and Design, being held at the Mound this summer.

The competition was organised by the City of Edinburgh Council in conjunction with the Edinburgh Architectural Association (EAA). The winning pavilion is engineered by TALL engineers; it is being fabricated locally by artist and maker Johannes Sailer and is supported by several Scottish timber companies.

The architects’ brief was for a pavilion intended to be an aspirational ‘snapshot’ of Edinburgh, inspiring future generations of architects to come.

Entrants were asked to prepare proposals that would represent Edinburgh on a world stage, showcase the city including its World Heritage status, and reflect the location of the pavilion at the Mound.

Cllr Ian Perry, Convener of the Planning Committee, said: “Edinburgh is well known internationally for its iconic skyline and architecture. We are immensely proud of our World Heritage Status and this competition is a great example of how we can continue to raise our game and inspire local architects of the future. I would like to congratulate Konishi Gaffney on their well deserved win as they are a shining example of the quality of architects we have in the city.”

Kieran Gaffney of Konishi Gaffney Architects, said: “We are delighted to have won this competition and to represent Edinburgh at the Pop-Up Cities Expo. Our idea is based on a folded origami form developed from thinking about the brief for a pop-up pavilion. The form is made from two pyramids laid back to back with three openings pulled out: one for the door, one for a fixed window and one for an opening window for ventilation.  The proposal is innovative in its design and minimised the use of materials.  Using locally sourced timber means a small carbon footprint and the pavilion is intended for re-use at other events and functions. The proposal has an interesting, decorative structure and the simple form is materially and structurally efficient. We think the construction system should be quick and easy to install.”

Donald Canavan, President of the EAA, said: “The Edinburgh Architectural Association is delighted to be involved in facilitating this exciting competition, and was greatly impressed by the quality of the entries. Although such pavilions are temporary, the winning entry, by Konishi Gaffney, was agreed as a gem, offering a splendid tribute to Edinburgh, and to the architectural profession within the chapter area. We greatly look forward to the Expo and are sure the story told by the Edinburgh pavilion and its exhibits will be intriguing and memorable.”

ORIGAMI

 

Holyrood set to rock!

rocks

A nation-wide competition to find the best new musical talent in Scotland, whilst encouraging young people to use their vote in the 2016 Holyrood election, was been launched in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

Presiding Officer, the Rt. Hon Tricia Marwick MSP was joined by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the other Holyrood party leaders to announce details of the competition. David Hershaw and Sandie Forbes from Fife-based contemporary folk band The Dandylions were also on hand to lend their support and to encourage bands from across Scotland to apply.

Taking place throughout October, the competition will comprise eight regional heats. Forming part of the Rocktober Festival of events, the heats will take place in community spaces and venues in constituencies across Scotland. The final, Holyrood Rocks, will be staged at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday 31 October.

A panel of MSPs and industry experts will be invited to select one act from their regional heat to go through to the final and the winning act will be given the opportunity to record with an XFM producer at their studios in London’s Leicester Square.

Presiding Officer, Rt. Hon Tricia Marwick MSP said: “This competition is an exciting and innovative way to support musical talent whilst also encouraging the participation of young people in the political process.

“MSPs from across the political spectrum are delighted to be involved and I look forward to welcoming the best of Scotland’s emerging musical talent to Holyrood this October.”

The competition is organised in association with the Scottish Political and Cultural Partnership (SPCP) and also aims to raise awareness of the career opportunities available in Scotland across the creative industries and to emphasise the importance of these industries to the economy.

Fraser Paterson of The Scottish Political and Cultural Partnership commented:
“We’re delighted to have the full backing of the Scottish Parliament for what promises to be a fantastic project. We can’t wait to take Holyrood Rocks across the country, hearing the views of Scotland’s young people and encouraging them to make their voice heard.”

Entries are welcome from unsigned acts whose members are all over 16 years of age. There is no upper age limit.

Visit www.scottish.parliament.uk/holyroodrocks for the most up to date information on the Roctober Festival and Holyrood Rocks events and also for information on how to apply to take part.

Bye, bye gravy – gravy, goodbye?

Roller Les says ‘aye’ to a pie – again!

Les-McKeown-judging-pies1-460x250Bay City Rollers’ front man Les McKeown has confirmed that he will be a judge at the 16th World Scotch Pie Championships which takes place at Dunfermline’s Carnegie Conference Centre next week .

Les, the voice of the 70’s supergroup with hits such as Bye Bye Baby, Shang A Lang and Give A Little Love, said: “I am known for my love of a great pie and I always stock up when I am on home ground. Touring non stop around the world with the band means we need to keep our strength up so we always say ‘aye’ to a pie!

“Being invited back to judge the best of the best though is a huge honour, I am already in preparation and plan to eat nothing for 24 hours before the big day so I can enjoy every bite of Scotland’s best and this year I know exactly what I am looking for.”

Last year’s winner, Stephen McAllister from The Kandy Bar of Saltcoats, said: “I was delighted when we were announced as the winner and to have been able to call our Scotch Pies the world champion as judged by a panel of experts has made a huge and positive impact on our business in the last year. The award was proof that The Kandy Bar team are the best in the land and we have gone from strength to strength.”

The competition is supported by Scottish Bakers and the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders. Both trade associations actively support and promote bakers and butchers in Scotland by encouraging and sharing best practice.

Alan Clarke, chief executive of Scottish Bakers, is delighted with the support that the Bay City Rollers are giving to the competition. He said: “They are an iconic Scottish Band and the Scotch Pie is an iconic Scottish product, we are delighted to announce that Les will join our group of professional judges again this year to select the best pies in the land.”

In addition to Scotch pies, bakers and butchers are invited to enter their best sausage rolls, bridies, specialty savouries, Scottish football pie, apple pie or savoury.

Butchers and bakers across Scotland will have the opportunity to become recognised as producing the highest quality products around the globe with awards given to those producing the best products in each category. The winner of the Scotch Pie category will be declared World Champion.

The competition, which has run for 16 years, aims to highlight that bakers and butchers create high quality artisan pastry products. Recognising the ‘great and the good’ in this way rewards excellence and raises the bar in the industry.

The competition, which takes place on Tuesday,  is sponsored by wholesaler to the food industry, Bako Northern and Scotland. http://www.bakoscotland.co.uk/

pies

 

Location, location, location: Miller Homes launches photography competition

Miller Homes launches ‘great locations’ photography competition

village2 Edinburgh housebuilder Miller Homes is launching a photography competition encouraging people to submit a photo they have taken which encapsulates all that is great about the area in which they live. 

Highlighting the importance of location, the ‘Great locations photography competition’ will also ask entrants to provide a sentence or two giving context to their photo.

Anne Marie Britton 1 approved[206640]Anne Marie Britton, Scotland Area Sales and Marketing Director at Miller Homes (pictured above) said: “More often than not, location is a deciding factor in people’s decisions on where they want to live.  Location is so important, and for this reason we ensure we only create communities in the very best places in Edinburgh with access to good schools, excellent local amenities and superb transport links.

“For our great location photography competition we are asking people to consider their locations and the reasons why they love them.  We want to start conversations about place and to really tap into what makes a location appealing, exploring how vital this is to how people feel about where they live.

“We are anticipating a range of interesting entries and look forward to receiving these over the coming weeks and months.  Best of luck to all entrants!”

Entries should be sent to millerhomesphotocomp@miller.co.uk and once received will be published on Miller Homes’ social media channels.  Deadline for entries is 26 October 2014.

All entrants must be over 16 years old and pictures will be judged by professional photographer Mike Wilkinson.

Mike Headshot_1

 

Mike (pictured above) has 26 years experience and currently supplies images for The Times, Sunday Times and Financial Times. He said: “Often the most simple of objects make for the most interesting photographs. I am fascinated in the sights that capture the eye and look forward to seeing the array of images that are submitted in the competition.”

A winner will be selected from each of the housebuilder’s six regions (Scotland, North East, North West, Yorkshire, Midlands, Southern) and then from these winners an overall national winner will be selected.  Regional winners will each receive a £50 Amazon voucher plus the opportunity to have their photo framed and displayed in their nearest Miller Homes development; and on top of this the overall winner will receive a gift voucher for a one-day photography course as well as a framed copy of their photograph.

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

 

Join Sainsbury’s Big Jump!

sby

I’m writing to let you know about a fantastic sporting event taking place at Sainsbury’s Blackhall on Thursday 3 July to promote the Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix, which takes place at Hampden Park on 12 and 13 June.

The event will see some of the world’s greatest athletes take part in the two-day competition, including double Olympic champion Mo Farah, Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford and one of the fastest men of all time, Yohan Blake. The Grand Prix is part of Sainsbury’s Summer Series, which is made up of five fantastic athlete and para-athlete events taking place across the country.

In the run-up to the Glasgow Grand Prix, we’re holding a sporting competition called ‘The Big Jump’, in four Sainsbury’s stores across Glasgow and Edinburgh. The events will see a full-size long jump track set up in our Sainsburys Blackhall car park on 3 July between 10am and 4pm. Throughout the day, we’ll be encouraging customers to take part. 

Every participant will be entered into a free prize draw to win a family ticket to the Grand Prix and have the chance of taking part in a special ‘Sainsbury’s Long Jump’ event at Hampden Park on 11th July.

The event is free and it’s the first time we’ve ever held a sporting activity like this across our Scottish stores. It’s a great opportunity for children and their families to come along and be part of ‘The Big Jump’.

If you require any more details about the event, please call me on 0131 332 0704 or e-mail prl.blackhall@sainsburys.co.uk. We will also be advertising this event in-store.

Many thanks for getting involved in ‘The Big Jump’!

Gail Wilson

Sainsbury’s Blackhall

Edinburgh College strikes gold

Lola and Rachel were among the winners
Lola and Rachel were among the winners

Edinburgh College students have won a string of awards at a national competition designed to recognise the exceptional talent of beauty students in further education and training. Edinburgh College hosted the national World Skills competition and awards ceremony and entered beauty students to compete for awards against hundreds of students from across the country.

The local collge students, who have consistently won awards at the World Skills competition, picked up two 1st places, three 2nd places and one 3rd place in several competitive beauty categories including aromatherapy and beauty therapy – with a clean sweep of awards in Beauty Therapy Advanced.

19-year-old Beauty student Rachel Rooney from Gilmerton won 1st place in Advanced Beauty Therapy. She said: “My lecturers, Carrie, Nicola and Claire, really encouraged and supported me to go in for the competition and I’m really glad they gave me that extra boost to go for it. I couldn’t have done it without their help.

“I was in complete shock when I heard the World Skills judges call out my name to say I had won – all I could hear were my friends and lecturers cheering me on as I went up on stage to collect the award. I’m so pleased to have won such an amazing award. World Skills is a really well known competition. It’ll look brilliant on my CV and will hopefully give me an edge when I’m looking for a job after College.”

34-year-old Beauty student Lola Lopez, who is originally from Madrid but is currently living in Edinburgh, won 1st place in Aromatherapy at the World Skills competition. She said: “It’s such a massive opportunity to have our beauty skills judged by top professionals. During the competition, the judges came around to observe our treatments and asked us questions about our skill and techniques throughout the competition to really put us to the test.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, said: “We are delighted to have been given the honour to host and compete in such a high profile event. World Skills really showcases the brilliant work of beauty students across the country, and highlights the next generation of talented and skilled beauty employees in the industry. We’re incredibly proud of all of our students who have won awards in the competition and look forward to seeing how they perform in the UK national final later in the year.”

She added: “The area of beauty within Edinburgh College is fundamental to the College’s overall curriculum, as well as to the overall contribution to GDP within the UK. The number of people training and gaining employment in beauty has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years, and we’re very proud to be at the forefront of delivering a skilled workforce within the burgeoning beauty industry.”

Highly regarded throughout the industry, World Skills UK champions and drives excellence in workplace skills and education through competition. The beauty students will soon find out if they will be invited to attend the flagship The Skills Show final later in the year.

Edinburgh College - World Skills

Pictured Above: (L-R) Edinburgh College beauty students Shevon McKenna, Lola Lopez, Samantha Plastow, Lindsey McCardie, Kirsty Steel, and Rachel Rooney at the World Skills competition.

And the winner is …

Beauty therapy advanced

·         Rachel Rooney (1st place)

·        Lindsey McCardie (2nd place)

·        Kirsty Steel (3rd place)

Aromatherapy

·        Lola Lopez (1st place)

·        Samantha Plastow (2nd place)

Beauty Therapy Intermediate

·        Shevon McKenna (2nd place)

Win the trip of a lifetime …

… courtesy of mydestination.com/edinburgh

Edinburgh globetrotters are being given the opportunity to win the prize of a lifetime.  Launching in Edinburgh this week, travel’s Biggest, Baddest, Bucket List competition offers one lucky winner a six month, all inclusive blogging trip around the world, taking in a minimum 25 international destinations and $50,000 (USD) prize money upon return to the UK.

The winner of the trip, which begins on 8 June 2013, can choose their own itinerary for the six months and will be expected to blog for website MyDestination.com.

Paul McGlinchey, Managing Director of MyDestination.com/Edinburgh said: “This is an amazing trip for anyone who has the travel bug.  It is the chance to see all of those places you’ve always wanted to see  – with all expenses paid.  Scots are renowned travellers and I believe that people from Edinburgh can inject a real sense of passion for new places, so I hope many will enter our competition. Plus, there’s the life changing $50,000 USD to look forward to when the winner comes home.”

Throughout the trip, the winner will have the opportunity to meet new friends, see the sights and take part in various challenges.  The challenges will be everything from trying out local delicacies to adrenaline pumping activities.

To win this trip of a lifetime, applicants must create a video application in English and up to three minutes in length talking about Edinburgh.  Ten candidates from My Destination sites around the world will make it through to the voting list, five chosen by My Destination and five selected by public votes.

Ben Southall, winner of Tourism Queensland’s ‘Best Job In The World’ competition in 2009, will be judging the entries. He commented: “Winning ‘Best Job In The World’ was truly a life changing experience for me and I can’t wait to help pick out a winner for the Biggest, Baddest, Bucket List and help give someone else an opportunity that could very well be life changing for them. I haven’t looked back since winning in 2009 and I’m delighted to see an amazing travel blogging opportunity that really looks to get under the skin of so many destinations around the world.”

MyDestination.com/Edinburgh is part of My Destination, the global travel resource powered by a community of local experts. The competition is in partnership with a series of international associates including Hotels.com, Travelex and Viator, and closes on 31 March 2013 with the winner being announced on 7 May 2013.

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