Essay Contest: What it Means to be a Climber in 2020

Announcing a year-end essay contest! 

Intro

2020 has been a tumultuous and awakening year for so many reasons. We have all experienced a paradigm shift, to say the least. alpha climbing wants to hear from the youth and young adult climbers of the world on what has changed during the course of events that this year has delivered. 

Theme

Answer any or all of the following questions in your essay:

What has changed this year on your journey as a climber? What has become more important? Less important? What have you let go of? How will the struggles you’ve faced this year influence your journey as a climber? How will you adapt? Moving forward, what is different? Is climbing as relevant to your identity as it was in February? If it’s not, what has taken its place? How have the events of 2020 forced you to look beyond yourself as a climber? Or outside of your comfort zone?

Categories and Prizes

Short essay:

-300-600 words

-accompanying photos are welcome

-ages 10+ 

The selected essayist will receive:

Choice of:

-custom Super Clip/avalanche probe stick clip, or

-6 custom Grips for Good wood climbing holds (medium size - your choice)

&

$75 off any future alpha climbing program.

All eligible entries received in this category will receive 5% off any 2021 program.

Long essay:

-900+ words (longer is fine)

-accompanying photos are welcome

-ages 14-23

The selected essayist will receive:

-Unparallel Sports climbing shoe of your choice, or

-10 custom Grips for Good wood climbing holds (medium size - your choice)

& 

$150 off any future alpha climbing program.

All eligible entries received in this category will receive 5% off any 2021 program.

Submission deadline

Submit entries via shared Google doc link or word doc emailed to aaron@alphaclimbing.com before December 4, 2020. 

Judging

Entries will be judged by a panel of alpha climbing staff, mentors, and former athletes. 

Eligibility

This contest is open to everyone who falls within the age constraints listed for each category. Essays that have been used for school assignments, blogs, or other contests will be accepted as long as they are original work of the author. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The review panel reserves the right to reject essays which are off-topic, offensive, derogatory, or otherwise not suitable to alpha climbing’s platform and mission. 

Please contact aaron@alphaclimbing.com for more details.