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Closed: Win a 12-day filmmaking assignment in India!

Applications have now closed and we have announced a winner.

Budding travel filmmakers, this is your chance to capture the stories of communities living in India's very own tropical paradise - Kerala.

Watch the video below to see how to apply for this scholarship

Brian Rapsey filming

This opportunity is now closed.

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Scholarship prizes

Free flights

Receive round-trip airfare from your closest international airport to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.

12-day filmmaking trip

Capture the culture and communities of Kerala under the mentorship of professional travel filmmaker Brian Rapsey.

Post-production workshop

Your trip will include a 3-day post-production workshop where you’ll edit your film, continuing your mentorship with Brian Rapsey.

Audio gear

Record superior sound for your film with a new Video Mic Pro and VideoMic Me™ iPhone directional mic courtesy of Rode Microphones.

Nomad accessories

Be equipped with hyper minimalist smartphone and smartwatch accessories from Nomad.

Travel insurance

As always, we've got your back. You'll receive travel insurance for the duration of your trip from World Nomads.

In partnership with: Nomad Kabani

How do I apply?

  1. Make a 3-minute documentary

    Our challenge to you is to go out and interview an amazing adventurer or inspiring traveler and bring to life their compelling travel story around one of the following themes:

    • 'Courage'
    • 'Kindness'
    • 'Acceptance'

  2. Upload your film to YouTube or Vimeo

    Please make sure your video is publicly accessible.

  3. Complete the application form

    In 1500 characters or less tell us why you should be the scholarship recipient and what winning this opportunity would mean to you. Your answer will hold considerable weight in the judging process.

NOTE: Once you apply, you will not be able to go back and edit your application, so please make sure you are completely satisfied with your application before you hit the submit button.

Our judging panel

Person returning someones wallet Mentor

Brian Rapsey

Brian has spent over 20 years in TV, documentary, corporate, travel and educational film production and has been the mentor of our Travel Film Scholarship for the last 4 years.

Person returning someones wallet Judge

Gregg Bleakney

Gregg is the Creative Director of the visual storytelling agency WhereNext?. He’s also a photojournalist specializing in adventure travel, cycling and conservation.
Person returning someones wallet Judge

Benjamin Chesterton

Ben is the director and producer of film production company Duckrabbit. Before co-founding the company, he was a BBC documentary producer at Radio 4 and the World Service.

What are the judges looking for?

You'll need to convince our judging panel through your application that you have the spirit of adventure and a passion for travel filmmaking. A good travel documentary should:

  • Convey a strong narrative in English (or with English subtitles)
  • Focus on a specific travel story within a 3 minute timeframe
  • Show us your interviewing skills and ability to coax a good story from your subject
  • Demonstrate strong filmmaking skills
  • Show originality
  • Be visually engaging

The scholarship recipient, along with the shortlist of the best films will be published on the World Nomads website on August 9th, 2017.

NOTE: Films compiled solely of still shots will not be considered, you need to demonstrate your skill with the moving image.

Looking for inspiration?

Check out some of our past winners:

A couple during an argument
Film

State of Mind

Joshua Brown conducts a concise and insightful interview with inspirational travel photographer Tom Martin to win the 2016 Film Scholarship.

A couple during an argument
Film

From One End Of The World To The Other

2015 winning entry by Coleman Lowndes follows the story of an inspiring nomad cycling from Argentina to Alaska.

FAQ

  • Am I considered a professional filmmaker?
    Have you already been regularly commissioned to make films (in any genre) or derive more than 25% of your income from filmmaking? If so, you would be considered a professional. If you are still learning the craft of filmmaking and the majority of your income is not derived from filmmaking activities then you are eligible to apply. We appreciate that the filmmaking industry is difficult to break into and there are a lucky few who can count themselves as professional full-time filmmakers. This scholarship is very much about the mentorship, and the judging panel will be selecting the person or team who they feel will most benefit from the learning opportunity. For the purposes of this opportunity, we would consider you to be professional filmmaker if you have been commissioned regularly to make films (of any genre). We would also consider you to be a professional filmmaker if you derive more than 25% of your income from filmmaking of any kind. If you have only had a few films commissioned, or keep a regular video channel of your own, then we would not consider this professional. If you are a finalist, you will be asked to outline your experience to date, and it will be the judging panel who decides who is most suitable based on their previous experience, video and written component. So, whilst we are not stipulating exactly what does and does not constitute a professional, think about the spirit of the mentorship program and whether you think you would make the most ideal candidate.