2024 Student Scholarships

Check back for more details about the 2025 NRPA Awards.
Get A Reminder about the 2025 Nomination Period

The Student Scholarships are presented to outstanding undergraduate or graduate student in recognition of continuous extraordinary community service or contributions to the parks and recreation field. The Scholarships provides selected students (up to 2) with the opportunity to explore the operation of NRPA at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference. Participants will meet with mentors, be recognized at the awards ceremony and attend various conference sessions and meetings. A primary focus of the program is to inspire future participation and leadership in NRPA and to develop professional contacts. Conference registration will be complimentary and a travel/hotel stipend will be provided.

The nomination deadline is March 29, 2024.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Current NRPA student member at time of nomination
• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours, or equivalent quarter hours
• Have a minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or equivalent in recreation/park courses
• Have completed a minimum of six semester hours, or equivalent quarters, in the recreation/parks curriculum or related field
• Must not be employed full-time in park and recreation
• The intention of the scholarship is to support up and coming professionals with less than 5 years park and recreation experience.
• Have demonstrated leadership or employment in campus organizations/activities related to the profession
• Must attend the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia October 8-10, 2024
• May only apply for one fellowship or one scholarship per year

Application Materials:

• Answers to the questions provided in the application form
• Short essay responses (no more than 250 words for each) to the following questions:
  • Describe specific ways attending the NRPA Annual Conference will benefit your professional development.
  • Describe your work experience (paid and/or volunteer) in parks and recreation.
  • Describe your passion and enthusiasm for the field of parks and recreation.
  • Describe your professional goals.
  • Describe any special honors, awards, recognition you have received or leadership roles you have held.
• Resume including work, education and volunteer experience
• Letter of recommendation from school advisor, professor or field employer

Application Instructions:

• All applications must be received by NRPA no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on March 29, 2024.
• Applicant may only use this official application form.
• Applicants must have or create an NRPA login account to complete an application.
• All materials must be submitted electronically in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
• Application is automatically disqualified if it does not meet criteria or submission instructions.
• This format has a save and continue feature that is located at the bottom of the question pages.

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, contact the NRPA Awards Program at awards@nrpa.org.

Apply Today

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