Travel Play Live

Who is Travel Play Live?

How did the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant come to be?

Adventure offers us the opportunity not only to be empowered or inspired but also to dream and dare. When women connect with adventure in its many forms, we see something more profound occur - an opportunity to channel its benefits for the greater good.

Not only does it allow women to grow into more confident, compassionate, resilient and courageous humans, women often use its power to affect positive change around them.

In themselves

In their Communities

In our World.

Our Travel Play Live Team and a passionate group of supporters, advocates and adventurers were fired up by this comment from another grants program who didn't award their sponsorship owing to a lack of what they considered to be a lack of truly epic adventures in the mix of applications...  

Once we picked our jaws off the ground, we began to discuss a few things. Firstly what is the definition of epic, and what is it that causes such a controversial reaction when the words adventure and women are used in the same sentence?

If we are honest, the word epic does tend to conjure images of extreme adrenaline filled escapades. Even the dictionary definition of epic is skewed to the male domain - "his epic journey around the world", however, in more colloquial terms epic can be defined as ‘extending beyond the usual or ordinary’ and we don’t see any issues with applying this definition to the domain of women’s adventure. In fact, until it’s the norm we will continue to accept the challenge to create change in this space in as many ways as we can.

And so the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant was born.

Receiving initial support from forward-thinking companies Fully Rad Adventures and Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour, both of whom have chipped in funds to give the grant legs, but we also need the communities help to keep it moving. We will be contributing $5 from every magazine subscription sold from now until the end of December 2017

Here at Travel Play Live, we are a small independent team, with a big heart, a tremendous passion for what we do but unfortunately, this sentence doesn’t end with ‘and also an enormous bank balance’.

So we are reaching out and asking our community to get behind this campaign and help us to support and champion four recipients who represent Australian Women in Adventure.

Campaign Goal

Our goal is to raise $15K - $20k in our crowdfunding campaign so that in addition to the funds already raised we can:

• Allocate a minimum of $5000 in cash funding within each category of the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant.
• Develop a mentoring program for the recipients and shortlisted entrants to connect them with established female mentors in the arena, equip them with the skills necessary to present their project to the broader community, manage their PR and ensure they fulfil their projects goals.
• Provide recipients with media coverage and support in the lead-up, during and post project
• Provide recipients with equipment from our partners, so not only will grant recipients be supported and mentored to get their dream off the ground, they will be equipped with technically innovative apparel and equipment to assist them in reaching their goals.
• Establish the groundwork to ensure that the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant becomes a key event within the Australian Women's Adventure landscape.

Meet our Grant Ambassador - Hanny Allston 

It is an honour to become Travel Play Live’s ambassador for their newly launched Women’s Adventure Grant.  Exploring wild places, with hair wild, scratches and mud sneaking up my legs… this is where I find my truest self.  Running along a remote trail feels like I am peering through a window into a place, breeding wonder for what lies ‘out there' but also to the hidden strengths that lie ‘within me'.  I want to help women experience this sense of curiosity too.  Fascinated by the art of preparing for such adventures, I feel like it is my calling to explore how we can master our own excellence and then share this with Australian women so together we can foster adventurous, free spirits. - Hanny Allston. 

Endorsements for the Grant

"There truly aren't any barriers in this industry except the ones you have set yourself. Understandably, the tough thing to overcome is to find support and help that expedition or trip happen. I'm excited to see this new grants program launch to help other women carve out their way into the adventure realm and discover what their strength is. But more importantly, understand their weaknesses and how to grow and evolve from that vulnerable place." - Krystal Wright. Adventure Sports Photographer (photo credit: Andy Mann)

"Incredible and inspiring women have always been out there having amazing adventures but they have typically been self-funded with their stories rarely being told through film. It is such a wonderfully positive change to now see more and more women in adventure films - we can't be what we can't see! Having more women both in front of, and behind the camera, in adventure films is definitely making for richer and more diverse stories. The Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant program is such an incredible initiative that will have a far-reaching impact on inspiring women to live adventurous lives and share their stories with others. Not only will it directly affect the recipients of the grants it will have a positive impact on all of us who get to read the stories and see the films. Beyond this, it will no doubt be the inspiration for many to dream big! I am delighted to support this incredible initiative and can't wait to see the stories, dreams and adventures come to life." - Jemima Robinson. Director. Adventure Reels 

Who Would Receive The Grant Funding?

The Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant aims to encourage applicants to consider a creative approach when submitting their application with a strong message on how adventure has the power to create positive change, whether it be individual, locally or globally.

Applications are welcome from Australian women of all ages and backgrounds who are planning an expedition or adventurous project and can demonstrate how they will endeavour to use the grant funds, in an innovative, creative and adventurous way to showcase the power of adventure to affect change. 

The Grant Categories:

Expeditions for Change

We are after applicants whose primary goal of their adventure is to create change locally, nationally or globally via their project or expedition. This category is open to: 

• Scientists and conservationists who may be conducting fieldwork in intrepid, extreme or remote locations.
• Explorers and adventurers who are using their expedition to raise awareness on social or environmental causes.
• Women forging new ground in the adventure arena and challenging boundaries 

Adventure Film & Photography

We are after female photographers, documentary makers or filmmakers who are capturing the heartbeat of adventure across the globe. This category is open to creative women who are equally as adventurous as the subjects or locations whose story they are telling. 

Youth (under 18’s).

We are on the lookout for young women adventurers under 18 years of age who are pioneering the way for their generation to embrace the heartbeat of adventure. 

Within this category, the funding may also be used to participate in skills training or competing at a national or international level in outdoor pursuits.

Women Over 50

We are seeking women 50 and over pushing the boundaries of expectations when it comes to adventure. 

But First Steps First!

We need to raise funds and smash this crowdfunding campaign out of the water to make this happen because it will take more than virtual high fives and a double tap on IG in support of the idea. 

You can help us and be apart of this initiative by donating and know you took part in 'Pioneering Herstory’ ! 

Share this campaign, spread the word to our collective adventure communities, potential sponsors and brands and let's get this baby happening.

Our goal is to raise a minimum of $15K - $20k in our crowdfunding campaign so that in addition to the funds already raised we can:

• Allocate a minimum of $5000 in cash funding within each category of the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant.
• Develop a mentoring program for the recipients and shortlisted entrants to connect them with established female mentors in the arena, equip them with the skills necessary to present their project to the broader community, manage their PR and ensure they fulfil their projects goals.
• Provide recipients with media coverage and support in the lead-up, during and post project
• Provide recipients with equipment from our partners, so not only will grant recipients be supported and mentored to get their dream off the ground, they will be equipped with technically innovative apparel and equipment to assist them in reaching their goals.
• Establish the groundwork to ensure that the Travel Play Live Women's Adventure Grant becomes a key event within the Australian Women's Adventure landscape.

If we don't reach (and hopefully exceed) our crowdfunding target, our cash grants per category will be significantly less, and we may need to consider just having one all-inclusive category. 

We will also have to reconsider our mentoring program that is planned as a part of the Grant.