McNEILL-NOTT AWARD

With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her partner Karen McNeill on Mt. Foraker in 2006, The AAC partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeill-Nott Award in their memory. This award seeks to preserve the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by giving grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams.

AWARDS

Two or three grants will be awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective.

The Award focuses on projects that have strong exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objectives. These elements are more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective.

APPLICATION PERIOD

The application period for the McNeill-Nott Award is from October 3 through December 31. Applications must be submitted via the online portal no later than 11:59 p.m. MST on December 31.

Recipients are notified after the selection committee has made their final award choices in January.

CRITERIA / GUIDELINES

This grant is only open to female applicants (all women or women identified people are welcome to apply). We look forward to supporting and celebrating the successes of female climbers and alpinists.

• Membership in The American Alpine Club is required.

• The grant applicant must be a U.S. citizen, though team members may be foreign citizens.

• Applicant must be at least 18 years of age and complete legal liability releases.

• All expeditions must be legal and obtain all necessary visas and permits required by local authorities.

• All expeditions must be conducted in an environmentally conscious and sound approach, and with care and respect for local inhabitants.

• The judges consider the proposed climbing objectives’ compelling nature, remoteness, exploratory nature, and the overall significance. Acceptable objectives could range from exploring hidden Alaskan gems to a new route in the Himalaya (see past recipients for examples).

• The team’s planned climbing style is considered. Teams climbing with the highest ethical standards and small, lightweight teams using a minimum of fixed ropes, camps, personnel, and equipment are strongly favored. Commercial, professional, and principally cause-related expeditions are ineligible. 

• The judges consider the team’s overall experience level, which must match the proposed objective.

RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Expectations of grant recipients include:

• Grant Recipients will act as American Alpine Club ambassadors to the domestic and  international climbing communities and are expected to champion the mission, values, and support of the Club.

• Recipients should do their best to practice environmentally low impact and leave no trace ethics, acting as strong mountain stewards.

• Within two months of returning, all grant recipients must submit to the AAC a written expedition report (including photos) for possible inclusion in AAC publications and/or posting on the AAC website. Failure to submit expedition report will result in applicant being ineligible for future AAC grants.

• Grant Recipients may be called upon to give a presentation of the expedition at a national or local AAC sponsored event or other public engagement. It is expected that recipients participate in these callings and mention the support of the AAC when speaking about the expedition. 

• If, after a grant is awarded, additional funding is obtained and the grant funds are no longer needed, or if an expedition is “over funded,” the recipient is asked to return all surplus funds to the AAC. Also, if after the grant is awarded a corporate sponsorship is awarded to the expedition, all funds from the AAC must be returned.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Proposals are accepted for expeditions occurring within one calendar year of the award date.

• Funding shall not be released to recipients until necessary permits and/or visas have been obtained.

• If for any reason the project is canceled or significantly altered, recipients must contact the AAC Grants Manager. If requested, all awarded funds must be returned to the AAC in full.

Explore Stories from Past Recipients

PAST MCNEILL-NOTT RECIPIENTS

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Chair: Anne Gilbert Chase

Members: Chantel Astorga, Anna Pfaff

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