Current Giveaway Details: December 2024

This month, we have ONE awesome giveaway! We’re giving away a pair of Vallerret photography gloves, along with a copy of my online Travel Photography Course. The total value is up to $259, depending on the gloves chosen.

Giveaway: Vallerret Photography Gloves + Photo Course

Brand/Manufacturer: Vallerret
Prize: Choice of any pair of Vallerret gloves, + Travel Photography Course
Retail Value: Up to $259
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

This giveaway is all about keeping your hands warm in cold weather. As you might know, Laurence is a professional photographer, and he likes nothing more than getting out into nature and shooting landscapes.

In winter, the cold weather makes it more challenging to stay warm while out exploring and taking photos. Operating a camera tends to need the fine control of your fingertips, especially with some of the smaller buttons and touchscreens. Most gloves don’t offer this level of control, so it can come down to a choice between warm hands or taking photos.

The good news is that there’s a Norwegian company called Vallerret who recognized this problem and decided to do something about it. They make a range of apparel, including gloves and clothing, designed specifically to help photographers keep warm in the most extreme conditions.

Since 2019, Laurence has been wearing their photography-focused gloves which allow him to both operate his camera and keep his hands warm. These gloves can also work great for when you need your finger free at times to operate other things like outdoor machines, scopes, or even your smartphone.

You can read his full review of their winter photography gloves here.

In summary, their gloves have a range of features to make using them for photography a lot easier. These include flip back finger and thumb caps so you can control camera settings without having to take the whole glove off, as well as built-in lens wipes. Naturally, they also work well as gloves, keeping your hands nice and warm in even the coldest conditions!

Also important to note is that although many photography gloves are sized more to fit the average man’s hands, Vallerret has a wide selection of sizes, including slim fit gloves that fit smaller hands and are often great for women. They provide a full size range from XS slim to XXL so they have a size to fit almost anyone’s hands.

For this month’s giveaway, we’re giving you the chance to win a pair of Vallerret winter photography gloves from their selection. They have a range of gloves available, and the pair you choose will depend on the conditions you shoot in. They have gloves for everything from mild, wet winter conditions through to deep Arctic conditions.

Laurence has a few pairs of Vallerret gloves, but the one he uses the most is his pair of Markhof 3.0 gloves which work well in most mild to mid-winter conditions. However, if you are somewhere where it is much colder, or planning a trip somewhere like Finland, you might find a heavier pair like these to be more suitable.

Jess loves her pair of Djuke photography gloves, which feature a black goat leather outer and warm merino wool inner lining as well as Thinsulate insulation.

For this giveaway prize, the winner can choose any pair of gloves available online from the Vallerret store. For the gloves valued at under $100, Vallerret will also include a pair of their super warm Merino Wool crew socks. Jess and I both have a pair of these socks and can definitely recommend them!

So the glove prize options are as follows:

• Tinden
• Skadi LRS
• Hatchet
• Alta Arctic Mitt
• Markhof Pro V3 + Merino Wool socks
• Djuke + Merino Wool socks
• Urbex + Merino Wool socks
• Milford + Merino Wool socks

Thanks to Vallerret for providing this awesome prize for our giveaway this month!

As well as the Vallerret gloves, I’m pleased to also be able to include a copy of my Travel Photography Course as a prize this month. I’ve been running this course since 2016 and have helped over 2,000 students improve their photography.

It covers everything you need to know about photography, from choosing a camera to composing a great photo through to photo editing and more. There’s also a Facebook group with regular challenges, as well as homework assignments where you get direct feedback from Laurence.

You can buy the course for yourself, and it also makes for a great gift for anyone looking to improve their photography. If you’re already a course member and you win this month, we’ll give you a giftable version of the course so you can gift it!

How to Enter the Giveaway

Please read the rules below to enter the giveaway:

1 – You need to be signed up for our newsletter.

If you get our monthly newsletters, you are eligible!

If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up using the form at the top of the page, or on this page.

If you’re already signed up you don’t need to sign up again and you can skip to the newsletter entry form. When you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll be sent an e-mail asking you to confirm your sign-up. You’ll need to click the link to confirm and activate your subscription.

2. Check the rules of the giveaway

Before signing up, read over the rules (listed in detail below the entry form) to make sure you are eligible to apply. While we strive to have our giveaway open to all subscribers, some of the giveaways have geographical, residency, age, or other restrictions.

3 – Use the form below to enter the giveaway.

You must use the same e-mail address that you used to sign up to the newsletter with, as we’ll be checking e-mails this way to validate your entry. You must be an active subscriber when we make the draw to be eligible to win!

Enter the Giveaway!

Winner will be randomly drawn with the winner receiving the prize as described above.

The retail value of the giveaway is up to $259, depending on the items chosen.

Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a valid email address, and have a valid mailing address.

Winners will be contacted by the email provided (so please use an email to enter that you check regularly). If a winner does not respond to email within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.

The winner will be contacted via email by us, and their details will be passed on to Vallerret who will fulfil the gloves part of the prize. We will provide the winner with access details to Laurence’s Photography Course.

Note you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, but you must be an active subscriber when the draw takes place to be eligible to win. Draws take place within a week of the contest closing.

The data entered into the giveaway form will solely be used for the purposes of verifying your entry, checking you are an active newsletter subscriber, and contacting you if you are a winner.

Winners (first name and last initial, and country of residence) will be announced on the bottom of this page and in our monthly newsletter.

Full Giveaway Terms and Conditions

These are the full terms and conditions!

1. The promoter is: Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats
2. Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats contributors, and their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the giveaway including helping to set up the giveaway shall not be permitted to enter the giveaway.
3. The giveaway is only open to active newsletter subscribers of the Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats monthly newsletter.
4. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.
5. Route to entry for the giveaway and details of how to enter are via this blog post
6. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the giveaway.
7. You must fill out all the requested information in the entry form to be eligible. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
8. Closing date for entry is December 30th, 2024 at midnight EST. After this date no further entries to the giveaway will be permitted. Only one entry may be submitted per participant. Multiple entries will not be considered, and will invalidate all entries by the participant. Incomplete, incorrect, or otherwise invalid entries will not be considered. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the eligibility of all participants.
9. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
10. The prize is as follows: 1 winner shall receive a pair of photography gloves worth up to $130 from Vallerret, as well as a copy of Laurence’s Travel Photography Course worth $129.
11. Any tax liability, including import taxes and duties due to international shipping, is the responsibility of the prize winner
12. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice and for any reason. Any changes to the giveaway will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
13. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and the promoter reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
14. Winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries. The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received. Promoters are not responsible for prize fulfillment nor for any technical failures. The winning entry will be verified. A list of winners will be displayed on this page and published in the monthly newsletter.
15. Promoter reserves the right to publish the winner’s first name and last initial and country of residence. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current USA data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
16. The winner will be notified by email within 10 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 72 hours of notification, the promoter reserves the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
17. The winner consents to providing their name, email, mailing address, and mobile contact number to the promoters for the sole purpose of enabling their prize to be delivered.
18. The promoters’ decision in respect of all matters to do with the giveaway will be final.
19. By entering this giveaway, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
20. The giveaway and these terms and conditions will be governed by US law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the USA.
21. Images included in the giveaway post may not depict the exact prize, and are for illustrative purposes only.
22. Residents of Canada will be required to answer a skill-testing question to claim their prize.
23. Void where Prohibited

We wish you the best of luck!

If you have any questions or concerns about the giveaways, please let us know in the Comments section below or email us directly.

Past Winners

Here is a list of our past giveaway winners:

November 2024:

• Melanie B. of Arkansas, USA won her choice of $200 worth of travel gifts from Amazon or Etsy

October 2024:

• Calla C. of MB, Canada won a won a pair of Vessi shoes of her choice, worth up to $180 USD.

September 2024:

• Andrew T of England, UK won a won a pair of Allbirds shoes of his choice, worth up to $160

August 2024:

• Kelly M. of New York, USA won a selection of travel items, accessories and travel guidebooks worth up to $250.

July 2024:

• Linda M. of Missouri, USA won a Photography bean bag + bean bag fill

June 2024:

• Irene N. of Taiwan won a pair of 2-day London Passes worth $364 USD
• Joseph P of Illinois, USA won a Peak Design Slide camera strap worth $69.95

May 2024:

• Nancy K. of Oklahoma, USA, won a $250 USD gift card good towards any tour with Take Walks / Devour Tours

April 2024:

• Davina W. of England, UK, won a mystery box of products and goodies from France worth €200

March 2024:

• Amelia F. of Singapore won a GetYourGuide giftcard with a value of $150 USD.

February 2024:

• Tricia B. of British Columbia, Canada won her choice of travel items, accessories and travel guidebooks worth up to $250.

January 2024:

• Sharon S. of Texas, USA won a Panasonic mirrorless camera bundle and travel photography course, worth around $1,400
• Leonie B. of New Zealand won a pair of Vallerret photography gloves worth up to $130

December 2023:

• Brenda S. of Ohio, USA won $100 of products from Axiology Beauty
• Marilyn F. of Ohio, USA won an Ovcio wool and cashmere Luxe Cape with a retail value of $249

November 2023:

• Sarah N. of Scotland, UK, won a choice of gifts worth up to £150 from our guide to gifts made in the UK. She specifically chose a Dashel Cycle Helmet and Penhaligon’s fragrance set.
• Idelle L. of Minnesota, USA won her choice of gifts worth up to $200 from our guide to gifts made in the USA. She specifically chose a Rogue Tote Bag.

October 2023:

• Valerie G. of Connecticut, USA & Leslie P. of Oregon, USA each won a BriskTails Pet Carrier Backpack worth $54.99 each ($109.98 total value)
• Maria G. of North Carolina, USA won a copy of the Lonely Planet Epic Snow Adventures book and a set of 5 National Parks guidebooks with a total retail value of $114.99
• Nelson C-M of Puerto Rico won a bundle of travel related items including a travel scarf, 1 small digital camera, 2 travel journals, & 1 travel wallet with a total value of $185

September 2023:

• Laura R. of Georgia, USA, won a Theragun Mini Massage Gun 2.0 worth $199

August 2023:

• Liza V. K, of the Netherlands won a an Insta360 GO 3 64GB action camera creator bundle + a copy of our Travel Photography Course, worth $597 USD.

July 2023:

• Elizabeth N. of Texas, USA won a summer travel essentials bundle, consisting of a Tilley Hat, a water bottle, and sunscreen worth ~$170USD

June 2023:

• Gary S. of Nevada, USA won a selection of travel items of his choice from Amazon worth $200 USD.

May 2023:

• Paula B. of Canada won a pair of Go City attraction passes to a city of her choice, worth up to approximately $450.

April 2023:

• Chris T. of England, UK. won a Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro 5G mobile hotspot and router, retail value of $849.99 USD.

March 2023:

• Lorna A. of England, UK. won seven travel journals worth over $150
• Sue M. of North Carolina, USA, won a Leuchtturm1917 travel journal worth approximately $28
• Robbie M. of USA won a DIngbats Journal worth approximately $22

February 2023:

• Curtis H. of California, USA won his choice of Craghoppers Clothing and Accessories worth up to $150.

January 2023:

•  Jennifer N. of Alabama, USA won her choice of travel scarf worth up to $160

December 2022:

• Simon E. of England, UK won an Insta360 ONE RS Twin Edition worth $560
• Jamie M. of Maryland, USA won a pair of Vallerret photography gloves and a beanie worth $110

November 2022:

• Aaron M. of North Carolina, USA won a pair of Vallerret winter photography gloves and a beanie worth €144
• Lynne H. England won a collection of travel related items and an AeroPress Go, worth over $200

October 2022:

• Mary L. of Arizona, USA won her choice of travel related items from Amazon, total value of $200 USD.

September 2022:

• Roy P. of Virginia, USA and Jennifer P. of Indiana, USA each won two JoGo Brew Straws, worth a total of $100.
• Joe M. of Ireland won a pair of Allbirds Wool Runner shoes, worth €130.

August 2022:

• Gary K. of Illinois, USA and Christopher J. of Australia won copies of EaseUS backup and recovery software worth $200
• Paul C. of England, UK won an Akaso V50 Pro action camera special edition bundle worth $159.99

July 2022:

• Andrew N. of Scotland, UK won his choice of a Grayl Ultrapress water filter system, worth £85
• Thomas H. of California, USA won an Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus Bluetooth Speaker, worth $179.99

June 2022:

• Brandan B. of Michigan, USA, won a travel coffee making kit, worth approximately $150. It included 1x AeroPress coffee maker, 1x AeroPress Tote Bag, 1x Mesh Filter, 1x Coffee Grinder, 1x Flask, 1x Travel Coffee Mug

May 2022:

• Thomas S. of Georgia, USA, won a $150 voucher for Hotels.com
  
• Kandy L. of Michigan, USA, won a $100 voucher for Hotels.com

April 2022:

• Louis P. of Mauritius won two 2-day city attraction passes from Go City, worth up to $350 USD
• Linda J. of England, UK won a Standard Luggage Travel Backpack and Backpack Packing Cube, worth $258 USD.

March 2022:

• Iris S. of Scotland, UK won a a pair of Sundrift Backpacks worth $385
• Cheryl G. of New Mexico, USA won a pair of Allbirds shoes of her choice, worth up to $150

February 2022:

• Sara B. of England, UK won an East Africa Mystery Box worth over $150
• Philippa F. of New Zealand won an Ovcio Featherlight Travel Scarf worth up to $149

January 2022:

• Leslie N. of South Dakota, USA won a Level8 Full Aluminium Carry-On worth $399
• John S. of England, UK won a pair of Vallerret Winter Photography Gloves and Stash Beanie, worth €132

December 2021:

• Gillian R. of Scotland, UK won a TravelWifi Sapphire 2 Portable Hotspot worth $149
• Alexa L. of Ontario, Canada won a Travel Photography Course worth $129

November 2021:

• Lucy B. of England, UK won an Insta 360 GO 2 Action camera worth $299
• Julie B. of Ontario, Canada won $150 worth of Etsy holiday gifts of her choice

October 2021:

• Phil D. of England, UK won a GlocalMe U3 hotspot, worth $119.99
• Sara B. of Illinois, USA was the winner of the TropicFeel Shell Backpack plus 3 travel accessories, worth $477.00

September 2021:

• Joseph M. of Minnesota, USA was the winner of a pair of GoCity attraction passes of his choice, worth up to $270
• Margaret W. of England UK was the winner of a Fifth Origins cape of her choice, with a retail value of up to $175

August 2021:

• Ilya E. of Russia was the winner of three products from KobraTech, 1 Apex A70 tripod, 1 TriFlex Mini Tripod, & 1 TabMount 360 iPad Mount with a retail value of $149.97

July 2021:

• John R. of England, UK was the winner of the Vanguard VEO 3 GO 235AB tripod and a Vanguard VEO Range T 48 Backpack, a retail value of $399.98.
• Liesl L. of Gibraltar was the winner of the Hydaway collapsible travel bottles giveaway, worth $83.85

June 2021:

• Janet B. of Texas, USA was the winner of the Cornwall Mystery Box, full of prizes from the region of Cornwall, retail value of over $100.

May 2021:

• Linda H. of British Columbia, Canada was the winner of the $100 Localbites cooking class voucher
• Carol C. of Texas, USA was the winner of the $200 Plum Guide voucher
• Lou F. of England, UK was winner of a Taotronics Mesh WiFi system (2 pack), a retail value of GBP £209

April 2021:

• Phil H. of England, UK won a Netgear Nighthawk M1 4G mobile hotspot and router which has a retail price of $349.99 USD.

March 2021:

• Robin M. of England, UK, won a Vanguard VEO 3 GO 204CB carbon fiber tripod worth $199.99, as well as a VEO GO 34M KG shoulder bag worth $69.99.

February 2021:

• Raymond S. of Maryland, USA was the winner of a $120 Context Travel gift card for use for any virtual seminars or courses
• Anisa A. of England, UK & Sumandeep K. of England, UK were the winners of 18 travel-related books

January 2021:

• Kim C. of Ohio, USA was the winner of the Standard Luggage Travel Backpack  giveaway worth $228 USD
• Brooke P. of Spain was the winner of our tech travel bundle giveaway worth approximately $117 USD

December 2020:

• Michelle P. of Minnesota, USA was the winner of the Travel Gifts made in USA giveaway worth $262

November 2020:

• Louise H. of England, UK won a box full of travel-related gifts made in the UK worth $195
• Bianca P. of North Carolina, USA won $100 worth of PortaPocket travel gear
• Wendy S. of England, UK won £100 of ASDA Photos credit for photo printing and photo gifts

October 2020

• Stephan G. of California, USA won a copy of our travel photography course worth $129 USD

September 2020

• Charlotte T. of Alberta, Canada won a $125 USD voucher good towards any products on the Koy Gear online store
• Sarah D. of Belgium won a France mystery box filled with hand-selected French treats and gifts, worth over $150 USD.

August 2020

• Skye T of South Dakota, USA won an AKASO Brave 7 LE Action Camera, worth $142.99 USD
• Samantha W. of England, UK won a $150 Civitatis voucher to use on any ticket, tour, or activity of her choice

July 2020

• Julie D. of England won a 2-night stay in a 4-star hotel in Bali, Indonesia, plus 2 guided tours with ForeverVacation. The prize was worth around $500 USD

June 2020

• Will E. of Rhode Island, USA won a 3-year NordVPN VPN subscription with a total retail value of $125.00

May 2020

• Rae H. of England, UK won a watch, cuff links, leather cord organizer, a travel coffee mug, a travel photography course, & several other travel gifts with a total retail value of $534.85
• Pamela S. of New York, USA won her choice of travel inspired home decor items from Etsy, worth $125

April 2020

• Joyce W. of Wales, UK won a Kameleon Rose Ultimate Travel Dress and 5 Way Cardigan, worth GBP £146
• Nick B. of Italy, Wayne K. of South Africa, and Kandy K-L. of Michigan, USA won a copy of Skylum Luminar 4 photo editing software worth USD $89 each
• Susan C. of Ohio, USA who won a travel coffee maker of her choice, worth up to USD $100

March 2020

• Anthea H. of England, UK who won a cashmere scarf, jewelry, and travel gifts with a value of over $500
• Kate W. of Ontario, Canada who won a USD $200 voucher for any walking tour on the Take Walks website

February 2020

• Scott F. of England, UK won two 2-day Paris Passes, worth 260 euros
• Regina R. of Portugal, won a copy of our travel photography course worth 129 euros

January 2020

• Ricky J. of North Carolina, USA won two framed prints of our photos, worth $125
• Jodie R. of Australia won a Tropicfeel bundle including 1 pair of Canyon shoes, 1 pair of Havasu flip flops, 1 Cruiser backpack, and 1 reusable Shopper bag, with a value of $166

December 2019

• Janni N of Denmark won a pair of Vallerret Photography gloves and Beanie, with a retail value of $136
• Louis D. of Illinois, USA won a GetYourGuide gift card worth $250

November 2019

• Kiara G of England, UK won an Ovcio Featherlight cashmere scarf worth $125
• Barbara C of Idaho, USA won her choice of gifts worth up to $200 from our gift guide for travelers and gift guide for photographers.

October 2019

• Ian F. of England, UK won an AKASO V50 Elite action camera worth $140.
• Stephanie L. of California, USA, Heather S. of Ontario, Canada and Christopher S. of New York, USA won a Wanderchain and set of 10 engraved tokens from The Wander Club. A $67 value each. Jill T. of Pennsylvania also won a Wanderchain.
• Jarna P. of Finland won a Tinggly holiday gift card, a $119 value.

September 2019

• Linda K. of Michigan, USA won a 3-piece Happyluxe travel set. A $88 value.
• Catherine R. of Ontario, Canada won a pair of travel shoes of her choice. She chose a pair of Sorel Joan Explorer winter boots, a $150 value.

August 2019

• Cynthia R. of Arizona, USA won a $150 gift credit to use to book camping and glamping sites on Hipcamp.
• Kelly J. of New Zealand won her choice of a set of Shacke Pack packing cubes, a Vera Bradley travel pill case, and a Zoppen travel wallet.

July 2019

• Julie W. of Michigan, USA won a Vanguard VEO 2 GO 235CB carbon fiber tripod and a VEO GO 34M bag with a total value of USD $339.98. Philip B. of England, UK won a VEO 2 GO 204AB aluminum tripod with a value of USD $149.99. Megan K. of England UK, William B. of North Carolina, USA, and Robin S. of Ontario Canada each won a VESTA Mini Tripod with a value of USD $43.99 each.
• Rachael B. of Ohio, USA, won a RavPower Filehub Plus travel router with a value of USD $42.99.

June 2019

• Ashley S. of Florida, USA won a USD $150 voucher for ScotteVest travel clothing of choice.
• Iain M. of Scotland, UK won a My Webspot Individual Edition WiFi Hotspot and a 20 day usage pass with a retail value of USD $299.

May 2019

• Gerri T. of Wales, UK was the first prize winner for the online travel photography course and Skylum Lumniar photo editing software, worth USD $198. Abbas K. of Turkey and Patsy B. of Canada also each won a free copy of the Skylum Luminar editing software.
• William T. of Georgia, USA who won a Pad & Quill TechFolio Pro Cord Organizer worth USD $140

April 2019

• Rotem A. of Israel, Cassandra C. of Missouri, USA, and Carolina R. of Argentina, each of whom won a day tour of their choice for 2 persons from Iceland Travel worth up to USD $700
• Sheila H. of England, UK who won a Melifluos travel wrap worth USD $32
• Carolyn  E. of England, UK who won a Happyluxe travel wrap worth USD $56
• David S. of Wisconsin, USA who won 3 custom vintage travel posters from Just Go Travel Studios worth USD $135

March 2019

• Delyna B. of Australia, who won a Rabbie’s Tour in the UK or Ireland worth up to USD $500
• Goretti R. of Catalonia, Spain, who won a Sony compact camera valued at USD $200

February 2019

• Becky P. from London, England, UK who won a tour from Travel Talk worth up to USD $1,200.

January 2019

• Anissa E. from Washington D.C., USA, who won a USD $200 voucher for use to buy a backpack on the Arcido store
• Anke K. from South Africa, who won a USD $200 voucher for any walking tour on the Take Walks website

December 2018

• Michelle B. from Germany, who won a Travelccessories Toiletry Bag & Travel Laundry Kit with a retail value of USD $100
• Russell C. from England, UK, who won a 5-piece Manta Sleep travel package with a retail value of USD $90

November 2018

• Toni K. from Kentucky, USA, who won OOO Traveling luggage with a retail value of USD $298
• Gary R. from Ontario, Canada, who won a Tinggly Best in the World travel gift card with a retail value of USD $119

October 2018

• Tracy C. from Australia, who won a free lifetime subscription to our travel photography course with a retail value of USD $129
• Vicki L. from the USA, who won a custom Passport Map with a retail value of USD $129

September 2018

• Toni A. of IN, USA won a Vanguard VEO 2 235CB Carbon Fiber tripod with a retail value of USD $199
• Kevin C. of Wales, UK won a Thule Subterra Carry-On 55cm with a retail value of GBP £215