Categories: News

“Shoot for the Stars” Winners Announced

Global Connections, Inc. (GCI) has selected exceptional photos in three categories as winners from nearly 1400 entries in its 11th Annual “Shoot for the Stars” Contest.

Travel industry leader GCI offers the members of its Global Discovery Vacations (GDV) club program a wide variety of leisure benefits and vacation options. Member contests such as Shoot for the Stars continue to grow in popularity among GDV’s 75,000+ active members. Because GCI does not require members to pay an annual activity fee unless they are using travel services or leisure benefits, it calculates the number of active members based on those who are currently using their GDV benefits at any given time. 

This is the 11th year of GCI’s largest and most successful annual contest, Shoot for the Stars.  The number of photos submitted grows exponentially year after year. Members submitted approximately 1000 vacation photos for judging in 2017 and over 1,400 in 2018.

First, second and third prizes were awarded in each of the three categories: Wild and Wacky, Family & Friends, and Landscape. In total, prizes were valued at more than $3,500 overall.  First place contest winners were awarded a $500 gift certificate for any Global Connections product or service (condos, cruises, tours and more). Second place winners received a free activity fee renewal and the prize for third place winners was a one-bedroom “Expressway” condo vacation.

Melanie Gring, Chief Strategic Alliances and Brand Officer/Global Connections says “We often use these photos in marketing and promotional materials.  Members enjoy seeing their pictures on GDV guidebooks, websites, advertisements and social media, and we appreciate that members allow us to use them.”

All the winning photos are posted on Facebook and the GDV Blog.  


Pictured  is the first prize winner in the Family and Friends category, taken in Egypt by Mark and Fadwa L., South Jordan, UT.

Daniel and Karen F. from Barrington, Il. won first place in the Landscape Category with this incredible shot called “Over the Rainbow—Hiking up to Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail, Yosemite National Park.”

And in the Wild & Wacky Division,  Barbara and Archie S. of Hazel Crest, IL. took top honors with this fun photo “Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary in Aruba at the Tropicana Resort.”

About Global Connections, Inc.

Global Connections, Inc. is based in Overland Park, KS, opening in 1996 as a travel club fulfillment and service provider.  Considered a leader in the travel club industry, GCI offers the members of its Global Discovery Vacations club program a wide variety of leisure benefits and vacation options at more than 700 North American resorts.  GCI is the developer and owner of resorts in California, Florida, Tennessee and Colorado as well as owning and leasing numerous resort condominium units throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Caribbean. For more information about GCI visit exploregci.com

About Global Discovery Vacations

Global Discovery Vacations is a respected membership-based travel club offering its members access to condominium accommodations, cruise and tour vacations, a full-service travel agency, a concierge program, and other leisure benefits. For more information about Global Discovery Vacations visit globaldiscoveryvacations.com

ResortTrades

Recent Posts

Top Timeshare Companies, Top Performers

This year, Resort Trades took a closer look at the top companies represented among the…

2 days ago

Meet June’s “Send Me on Vacation” Survivor

Sponsored by Dink 4 Pink For many young women facing breast cancer, life doesn’t pause…

1 week ago

Partnerships Capable of Industry-Wide Support

RCI and ARDA have spent decades building advocacy, infrastructure and innovation for the complexities of…

1 week ago

ARDA-Hawai‘i donates $4K to support Kona Hospital Foundation efforts

ARDA-Hawai‘i, the trade organization for Hawai‘i’s timeshare industry, is committed to community health. The group…

1 week ago

Vacatia Team Members Win Three ARDA Awards

American Resort Development Association Awards Recognize Excellence in the Timeshare Industry Vacatia Inc., a leading…

2 weeks ago

ConversionIQ.ai Wins 2026 ARDA Award for AI Product

ConversionIQ.ai was named the winner of the 2026 ARDA Award for AI Product in the Advertising, Promotion…

2 weeks ago