What does responsibility look like in the outdoors?
Outdoor recreation continues to grow in popularity, bringing more people to parks, trails, waterways, mountains, and other recreational spaces than ever before. Along with these opportunities come important questions about safety, personal responsibility, and the role of the legal system when accidents happen.
The 2027 Outdoor Recreation & Responsibility Scholarship encourages students to explore the evolving relationship between recreation, public safety, and the law. Whether your interests lie in hiking, cycling, skiing, climbing, paddling, team sports, or another form of outdoor recreation, we invite you to examine how legal and ethical responsibilities shape these experiences.
In your essay, discuss a legal, ethical, or policy issue related to outdoor recreation and public safety. You may consider topics such as liability, risk assumption, negligence, consumer protection, recreation access, public policy, or another issue you believe deserves greater attention. Explain why the issue matters, how it affects participants and organizations, and what changes or solutions could create a safer and more equitable future.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we believe the law plays an essential role in promoting accountability, protecting individuals, and balancing personal responsibility with public safety. Through this scholarship, we hope to support students who are passionate about thoughtful problem-solving and who are interested in shaping the future of recreation, safety, and the law.
Application Deadline: March 31, 2027
Award Amount: $1,000
Eligibility
- The scholarship is available to current high school seniors, vocational students, college students, or graduates who are legal residents of the United States, living in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, and enrolled in a vocational program or a two- to four-year college or university institution.
- Employees of Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., their immediate families (parent, child, sibling, and spouse), and persons living in the same households of such individuals (whether related or not), are not eligible to participate in the competition.
- Candidates for this scholarship must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or above and maintain good overall academic standing.
Application Requirements
- The candidate must fill out the form below with all necessary information
- The candidate must submit a 750-1,000 word essay response to the prompt: Applicants are asked to submit an original essay discussing a legal, ethical, or policy issue related to outdoor recreation. Essays should identify a challenge, analyze its broader impact, and propose thoughtful solutions that could improve safety, fairness, or access for participants.
- Please note that all essays will be checked for AI writing. If AI-generated writing is detected in the essay, the application will be denied.
- The candidate must submit a professional resume that lists their professional and academic experience.
- The candidate must submit a transcript from their current school. First-year college students, graduate students, or individuals who have recently transferred schools may submit an unofficial transcript from their current school and the most recent official transcript from their prior school. High school students can submit proof of acceptance to their college or university.
- Preference will be given to students either from or attending secondary school in the state.
The recipient of the 2027 Outdoor Recreation & Responsibility Scholarship will be chosen during the month following the scholarship deadline.
For all scholarship-related inquiries, please use this contact form. We are unable to answer scholarship questions by phone, email, or through any other contact forms listed on this website.
Please complete the submission form below to submit your application.
