Video Contestants Win Big Prizes from NOLS and Patagonia

Lander, WY. Everyone who entered this year’s Dream Expedition Video Contest is celebrating the holiday season with generous prizes from contest sponsors NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and outdoor retailer Patagonia.

In June, NOLS and Patagonia launched the video contest, asking entrants to submit videos describing their dream expedition. The contest ended on October 31 with 60 video entries from 15 seconds to 15 minutes in length describing dream expeditions that ran the gamut from hiking the Appalachian Trail, to dancing around the world, to helping with medical aid in remote villages, to more, generating over 40,000 cumulative views.

Winners were announced before Thanksgiving, and the prizes are out the door. Here’s what the top seven winners received for their amazing videos, which you can view on the NOLS Dream Expedition Video Contest web-site. One look at the phat gift list below, and you’re sure to enter next year’s video contest. Caution: no grinches, please!

Top two overall winners: The Wind River Wilderness course (or $5,000 towards another course), travel, all gear for the course, Deuter cragging pack, Ibex wool cap, stainless steel water bottle, Petzl Elite, Nalgene bottle, backcountry Java/tea press, camelbak, NOLS t-shirt, waterproof expedition journal, NOLS stickers, 30% NOLS store discount cards, and $1,300 Patagonia gift cards.

Winners in subcategories (most inspirational, most viewed, funniest, best low-tech, and more creative): $1,000 towards any NOLS course, Deuter cragging pack, Ibex wool cap, stainless steel water bottle, Petz Elite, Nalgene bottle, backcountry Java/tea press, either a NOLS sleeping pad or a Leadership Educator Notebook (for those winners who have plans to become NOLS instructors), NOLS t-shirt, waterproof expedition journal, NOLS Cookery field edition, NOLS stickers, 30% NOLS store discount cards, and $250 Patagonia gift cards.

All contestants (this is what you received merely for entering the contest): NOLS fleece cap, stainless steel water bottle, NOLS t-shirt, waterproof expedition journal, NOLS Cookery field edition, 30% NOLS store discount card, and NOLS stickers.