NRS OPEN WATERS Scholarship

$1500 to be applied to any water-based 2026 Freeflow course | Includes a $500 NRS gear stipend

+ professional mentorship under NRS’s Marketing & Communications Manager

APPLICATION WINDOW OPEN THROUGH MARCH 28, 2026

Funded by: NRS 

Open to: Everyone

2026 Freeflow courses eligible for this award:

NRS offers a $1500 tuition scholarship, $500 gear stipend, and professional mentorship to one emerging content creator—writer, photographer, filmmaker or storyteller. The NRS Scholarship may be put toward any 2026 water-based Freeflow course.

As a leader in the paddlesports industry, NRS is working to help break down the barriers to the outdoors and increase representation. We’re actively seeking to build and expand our network of diverse content creators—the people behind the lens and at the keyboard—so that the stories we tell are also being told by those who own them.

Creators of all backgrounds and skill levels are invited to apply, though preference will be given to applicants who are unestablished/ novice creators and/ or those from Indigenous and historically underrepresented communities. 

Before you apply, please familiarize yourself with the visions of Freeflow Institute and NRS, including the NRS blog, Duct Tape Diaries; NRS Films on YouTube; and NRS’s engagement on Instagram. Then craft a compelling, one-page pitch for an original creative project that is related to your Freeflow Institute experience, to be used and distributed by NRS once it’s completed. 

As storytellers, we realize that the best story is often the one we didn’t expect. When crafting your pitch, consider the Freeflow program you’re applying for and what stories you may be able to tell from that space. Consider how you want to tell that story—a personal essay, a photojournalism project, a short 2- to 3-minute film, or a vignette of short video clips. As part of the mentorship aspect of the scholarship program, the recipient will work one-on-one with NRS’s Marketing & Communications Manager. Upon returning from the field experience, you will meet with your mentor to re-evaluate and approve your pitch based on your actual experience in the field with Freeflow. The mentorship will continue throughout revisions and publication, and you’ll become familiar with the process of building and maintaining relationships between brands and freelance creators. While a continuing relationship in publishing with NRS is not guaranteed, we hope to give you the tools and confidence to pitch your future ideas and projects to brands. 

Please apply on a timeline consistent with the course you’re applying to. The deadline for ALL applications is MARCH 28, 2026. If you have trouble understanding or accessing the application, please contact us and we will help you.

We can’t wait to read about your ideas! Please get in touch with Anna at NRS at [email protected] or Chandra at Freeflow at [email protected] with any questions.

EXAMPLES OF PAST OPEN WATERS SCHOLARS’ PROJECTS

Willa Zhang, 2023, Rio Grande: Thirty-Six Exposures Along the Rio Grande

Sarah Knapp, 2024, Main Salmon: Finding River Sarah: A Love Story to Rafting

NRS Open Waters Scholarship Application

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Please note that the Open Waters Scholarship from NRS is only open to WATER-BASED courses.
PLEASE UPLOAD YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL, KEEPING THE FOLLOWING IN MIND: As storytellers, we realize that the best story is often the one we didn’t expect. When crafting your pitch, consider the Freeflow program you’re applying for and what stories you may be able to tell from that space. Consider how you want to tell that story—maybe a personal essay, photojournalism, a short 2-3 minute film, or a vignette of short video clips. As part of the mentorship aspect of the scholarship, after the course the recipient will work one on one with NRS’s Directors of Content & Media to re-evaluate the pitch based on the actual experience of the field course. NRS’s Marketing & Communications Manager will ultimately approve the creative project. The mentorship will continue through revisions and publication to teach and familiarize the recipient with building the brand-freelance creator relationship.
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    You may share a bit about your work, life experience, research, volunteerism, or leadership. You may also share with us how you’ve experienced barriers to the outdoors, to writing, or to creative work, generally. You may choose to share how your participation will contribute to a more inclusive and complex cohort.
    Feel free to send us OPTIONAL samples of your work, art, writing, filmmaking, etc. To include examples of your work with your application, upload them here.
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