2025 Parks and Recreation 30 Under 30

NRPA is looking to honor 30 of the best stories of park and recreation professionals having a profound impact on their communities and/or the field of parks and recreation.  These everyday superheroes (all 30 years old or younger) will be featured in the February 2025 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine.  Note: this February 2025 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine will only be published digitally (along with several other issues in 2025).

The nomination deadline is October 18, 2024.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be 30 years old or younger on October 18, 2024 (the nomination deadline).
• Must be a current member of NRPA
• The selection committee will evaluate nominations on one or more of the following criteria:
  • Impact on the agency’s community and service population
  • Contributions to the professional development of the field of parks and recreation
  • Innovative ideas, programs or research in the field of parks and recreation
• Self-Nominations are accepted
• Prior 30 Under 30 winners are not eligible

Required Materials:

• Completed online application form - "Apply Today" button is below
• Resume - .pdf, .doc, or .docx format are accepted
• High-resolution photo - a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (or 1175 pixels (w) x 1500 pixels (h)
• Statement of Impact detailing why the nominee is deserving of recognition as a 30 Under 30 honoree - up to 400 words

Program Commitment:
The 30 Under 30 winners will be asked to participate in NRPA through one of the following opportunities:

• Submit an article for NRPA’s Parks & Recreation magazine
• Submit an NRPA Education Session for the 2026 NRPA Annual Conference
• Submit a blog post for Open Space blog
• Participate in a podcast for Open Space Radio
• Participate on a panel, education session, network meeting or committee for NRPA
• Join the leadership team of one of the NRPA Networks

Submission Instructions:

• All submissions must be received by NRPA no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Ocotber 18, 2024. NRPA will not return any materials submitted with the application.
• This official NRPA application form must be used in submissions.
• Applicants must have or create an NRPA login account to complete an application.  This is the same NRPA account that you use for NPRA Connect, NRPA Online Learning, entering CEUs to renew your certification, etc.
• All materials must be submitted electronically using this survey format.
• Supplemental material file types include .pdf, .doc, .docx, .jpg or .jpeg as noted on form.
• Submission is automatically disqualified if it does not meet criteria, submission instructions, or if the responses are over the word limit.
• This format has a save and continue feature that is located in the banner at the bottom of the question pages.
• Nominees will be notified of the status of their nomination by February 2025.

Terms and Conditions:

• NRPA reserves the right to disqualify an application if in NRPA’s sole discretion it determines that the application does not contain truthful information, is contrary to the standards or policies of NRPA, or violates applicable laws, or if the nominee acted contrary to the standards or policies of NRPA, or violated applicable law or could reflect negatively on NRPA.
• NRPA reserves the right to revoke any award or prize if in NRPA’s sole discretion it determines that the awardee acted contrary to the standards or policies of NRPA or acted in violation of applicable laws or could reflect negatively on NRPA.

For more information or assistance, contact the NRPA Awards Program at awards@nrpa.org.

Apply Here

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