Open Waters Scholarship from NRS

OPEN WATERS Scholarship FROM NRS

$2000 to be applied to any water-based 2023 Freeflow Course | $500 NRS gear stipend | Mentorship under NRS’s Director of Content & Media

Funded By: NRS

Open to: Everyone

Eligible 2023 Freeflow courses: River, Language, World (Big Blackfoot River); The Law of People and Place (Missouri River); Writing the Nonhuman (San Juan Islands); Good Ancestors (Missouri River); Streaming Through Lyricism (Upper San Juan River); Place, Power and Purpose (Gates of Lodore); The River’s Story (Rio Grande)

In 2023, NRS is offering a $2,000 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 2023 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. While our industry has improved visual representation in marketing media, we know this is but one step and we must go further. 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 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, 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 trip the recipient will work one on one with NRS’s Director of Content & Media to re-evaluate the pitch based on the actual experience of the trip and 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.

While a continuing relationship with NRS is not guaranteed, we hope to give you the tools and confidence to pitch ideas and projects to brands.

Please apply on a timeline consistent with the course you’re applying to. The hard deadline for ALL applications is May 15. 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 Ashley at NRS at [email protected] or Chandra at Freeflow at [email protected] with any questions.

Scholarship Application Form

2023 Open Waters Scholarship from NRS

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Which 2023 Freeflow course are you applying to?(Required)

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 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, 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 trip 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 trip and 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.

File Submissions(Required)

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2. Please provide an OPTIONAL statement of financial need:

What sort of other support will you need if you are awarded this scholarship?

Help with the cost of travel to the course

Help with procuring appropriate outdoor gear, clothing, or equipment

Mentorship on how to prepare (logistically or physically) for the outdoor experience

Resources on how to prepare (mentally or emotionally) for your Freeflow course

3. Please provide names and contact information for two professional, community, creative, or academic references.(Required)

Letters of reference are not required, but if you’d like to include them, you may upload them here.

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4. OPTIONAL Diversity Statement

You may choose to share how your participation will contribute to a more diverse, inclusive, and complex cohort. You may also share with us how you’ve experienced barriers to the outdoors, to writing, or to creative work, generally.

5. OPTIONAL Samples of Work

Feel free to send us optional samples of your work, art, writing, etc. To include examples of your work with your application, upload them here.

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 50 MB.

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