Deadline: November 30, 2025
Are you planning an expedition or research project that challenges both your body and mind? Do you want to explore meaningful questions about people, cultures, and the planet? The Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025 is now open for applications, offering up to £10,000 in funding for projects that embody adventure, purpose, and global insight.
This prestigious award—run by the Royal Geographical Society with IBG (RGS-IBG)—supports individuals and teams undertaking intellectually and physically demanding expeditions or fieldwork with high impact.
What is the Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025?
The Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025 is an annual grant programme that provides financial support for exploratory or research-based expeditions that aim to deepen understanding of the world’s peoples, cultures, and environments.
The award seeks proposals that are not just adventurous but also carry local and global significance, underpinned by clear methodology and a strong plan for dissemination of findings.
Award Value
Two grants are typically awarded each year:
- Up to £10,000 per successful application.
- In recent cycles, awardees have received £5,000 each, depending on the scope and scale of their proposed project.
The funding is expected to cover the majority of the project’s costs, so applicants should plan budgets accordingly.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility for the Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025 includes:
- Individuals or teams of any nationality.
- Projects must be physically and intellectually challenging.
- Postgraduate research (PhD or MSc) proposals are not eligible.
- The project must have a clear plan, defined aims, and an effective method for data collection and dissemination.
What Kind of Projects Are Funded?
To be considered for the award, your project must:
- Involve exploration or fieldwork that is both physically and intellectually rigorous.
- Address issues or questions of local and global significance.
- Demonstrate a clear methodology and achievable objectives.
- Include a solid plan for public engagement and knowledge sharing—such as multimedia content, publications, exhibitions, or outreach activities.
Recent Winners: A Glimpse into Past Expeditions
The Neville Shulman Challenge Award has supported remarkable expeditions in the past:
- Saxon Bosworth (2025): Explored the fragile lives and landscapes of the Ustyurt Plateau in Central Asia.
- Rebecca Conway (2025): Investigated cultural rituals and the resilience of the Kalash people in northern Pakistan.
Earlier awardees have conducted research in the Canadian Barren Lands, the Tibetan plateau, and Mozambique’s Njesi Plateau, combining field exploration with compelling storytelling and public outreach.
Application Deadline and Timeline
- Applications are currently open
- Deadline: 30 November 2025
- Finalists will be selected based on merit, challenge level, planning, and proposed impact.
Tips for a Strong Application
To improve your chances of securing the Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025:
- Show how your project is intellectually and physically challenging.
- Connect your fieldwork to larger global themes and insights.
- Develop a solid budget, with most costs covered by the grant.
- Outline clear, methodologically sound data collection strategies.
- Include a compelling dissemination plan—how you’ll share your findings with wider audiences.
Final Thoughts
If your project idea reflects a spirit of adventure and a commitment to understanding the world’s people and places, the Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2025 may be your perfect funding opportunity.
📩 For proposal drafting, refining, and review, contact grantsdatabase.org.
