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The American Alpine Club announced this week that it is accepting applications through March 31 for its new Copp-Dash Inspire Award to help fund and document climbing adventures around the world.
The awards will come from an available pool of $20,000, administered by the AAC as a tribute to Boulder’s Johnny Copp — founder of the Adventure Film Festival — and climber Micah Dash.
Copp, Dash, and filmmaker Wade Johnson died in China earlier this year in a failed climbing expedition later documented in National Geographic’s First Ascent: Point of No Return (one of the featured films at this year’s Adventure Film Festival).
The new awards – $20,000 in grants to help fund and document climbing adventures around the world – carries the spirit of Copp’s Adventure Film Fest slogan: “Make Your Own Legends.” Here’s the press release from American Alpine Club and information about how to apply:
The deaths of alpinists Jonny Copp and Micah Dash, along with young
filmmaker Wade Johnson, last spring in Sichuan, China, left a huge void
in American climbing. But it’s not just their climbs we miss–it’s also
their unique and fresh perspectives as storytellers, whether in print,
photos, slide shows, or video. Both Copp and Dash were great
characters, and their passion for telling the tales of their adventures
was as vital and enriching as the great new routes they completed.
The brand-new Copp-Dash Inspire Award celebrates this spirit. These
awards will fund bold climbing adventures in the remotest ranges on
Earth, and, equally important, they will help talented storytellers
bring back multimedia stories. The new grant, administered by the AAC
and sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain
Hardwear and Patagonia, will provide a pool of $20,000 in grants to
North American climbers for expeditions between May 1, 2010, and
February 28, 2011.
Good candidates for the grant will propose first ascents in distant
ranges and regions, requiring a high level of skill and commitment, and
climbed in a fast, light, and clean style. Proposed documentation
styles can include any mix of photos, video, or writing that will
vividly capture the essence of the adventure, and these stories may be
shared through many outlets: slide shows, the Internet, magazine
articles, and more. Creativity is key.
Uniquely, the Copp-Dash Inspire Award also will provide recipients
with mentoring before and after their expeditions. Instruction and
storytelling advice will be provided by the Adventure Film Festival, Alpinist magazine,
Sender Films, and professional photographers John Dickey and Mikey
Schaefer, in order to help award winners achieve their goals.
Applications for the 2010 awards are due March 31. Click here to learn more and download an application for this exciting new grant program.
