Want to take yoru dream paddling trip? Now’s your chance. Canoe & Kayak magazine announced its new Dream Your Adventure Contest, presented by Nexen Tire, to encourage everyday people to embark on a life-changing paddling adventure. Offering $10,000 to fund a paddling expedition, it’s the world’s largest contest of its kind open exclusively to paddlers…
“Every paddler has a dream adventure percolating in the back of their mind, but too few have the time and money to go and do it,” says Canoe & Kayak editor Jeff Moag. “This contest is for those people. Nexen Tire is taking away the biggest obstacle, and the biggest excuse—the money to make it happen.”
Proposed expeditions must include paddling—canoes, kayaks, rafts, packrafts, SUPs or similar craft—as a central component of the journey. Beyond that, it’s up to the paddlers and their supporters.
Applying couldn’t be easier. Paddlers simply go to the entry page [http://bit.ly/1P42hkv] to describe their dream adventure and upload a photo. The entrant who best captures the imagination of fellow paddlers, as determined by online voting, will win $10,000 to put toward their expedition.
“We wanted to make it easy to apply, and easy to share,” adds Moag. “Sure, someone is going to win the $10,000 and embark on a life-changing trip. But every person who puts their dream into words and shares it with the world also benefits, because they’ve taken the first step toward making their dream a reality.”
Entries are being accepted now until June 20, with online voting set for June 21 to July 21. The winner will be announced at the 2015 Canoe & Kayak Awards in Salt Lake City on Aug. 5.
The C&K Awards inspired the Dream Your Adventure Contest. The 2013 C&K Expedition of the Year Award winners used their prize money to stake an even bigger adventure—paddling from New Orleans to the Arctic in a single season. The Rediscover North America team is on the river now.
“We saw what the Rediscover North America crew did with that little bit of seed money, and thought ‘What if there was a really substantial prize?’” says C&K publisher Jim Marsh. “Nexen Tire agreed and generously made the funds and contest a reality.”
“We realize that many dreams and aspirations begin where the road ends, especially for paddling enthusiasts. We’re excited to partner with Canoe & Kayak and create a contest that will potentially change someone’s life by turning a dream in to a reality,” adds Jaclyn Quesnel, Marketing Specialist for Nexen Tire America.
Entrants must be legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. We’re looking for passionate solo or team paddlers who will use the prize money to embark on a once in a lifetime extraordinary journey to be completed by March 31, 2017.
“Our favorite stories always seem to involve people who have a wild dream and act on it,” Moag says. “From 67-year-old Olek Doba, who kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean—twice—to Janet Moreland and Keith Lynch, who quit his job in finance and paddled 4,000 miles home to Texas, there’s no end to the imagination of paddlers. It’s going to be fun to see what they dream up.”
