2026 Adventure Lens Grant: Komo Kulshan
Empowering the Next Generation of Female Adventure Storytellers
Are you a woman passionate about visual storytelling in extreme environments? The Adventure Lens Grant is your opportunity to hone your craft, share powerful stories, and gain valuable mentorship while joining a guided mountaineering expedition.
What is the Adventure Lens Grant?
The Adventure Lens Grant is a scholarship program designed to support an emerging female adventure photographer or videographer (ages 18+) with a unique opportunity to:
Participate in a Summit Scholarship mountaineering expedition on Komo Kulshan (details here)
Have expedition and travel costs fully covered.
Create impactful content showcasing the Summit Scholarship experience and the women who partake in it.
Receive mentorship from industry leaders, including professional adventure filmmaker and photographer Savannah Cummins.
The Adventure Lens Grant is about more than capturing epic moments—it’s about elevating your storytelling skills, connecting with other women adventurers, learning the business of adventure content creation, and amplifying underrepresented voices in the outdoor community.
Who Should Apply?
The Adventure Lens Grant is for emerging female photographers and videographers who:
Are passionate about storytelling through photography or videography.
Have an interest in outdoor adventure, mountaineering, and advocacy.
Want to gain hands-on experience documenting a real-world expedition.
Are eager to connect with and learn from experienced mentors.
Are committed to creating content that inspires, empowers, and educates.
You don’t need to be a seasoned professional; this grant is for emerging creators who are serious about growing in the outdoor storytelling space. We’re looking for applicants with a clear passion to build on this experience and pursue creative work or adventure media as an ongoing part of their journey, not just a one-time project.
What’s Included?
The Adventure Lens Grant recipient will receive:
Coverage of expedition and travel costs for the 2026 Summit Scholarship Rope Team Rising mountaineering course on Komo Kulshan.
The same top-notch mountaineering gear that Summit Scholarship recipients receive - mountaineering boots from LOWA, mountaineering attire from Fjällräven, and more.
Priority access to a $1,000 content budget contingent on the delivery of high-quality, professional-grade output. This budget is available for exceptional work that furthers the mission of the Summit Scholarship Foundation.
Mentorship from Savannah Cummins, who will provide guidance on content planning, gear selection, capturing the moment, navigating the industry, and pitching projects.
An opportunity to build your portfolio with professional-grade content from a glaciated and potentially high-altitude environment.
About Adventure Lens Grant Mentor Savannah Cummins
Savannah Cummins is a filmmaker and photographer whose work explores human connection in unforgiving landscapes. With a background in climbing and nearly a decade as part of The North Face athlete team, she brings a deep understanding of remote environments and a documentarian’s instinct for honest, visually driven storytelling.
Her work has taken her deep into the mountains of Antarctica and into remote jungles off the coast of West Africa, documenting everything from bold first ascents to quiet, human moments in extreme conditions. Often collaborating with elite athletes and tight-knit expedition teams, Savannah is trusted to operate in high-stakes, unpredictable environments—bringing stories to life with a strong visual point of view and a deep respect for the people and places at their center.
See Savannah’s work at www.savannahcummins.com.
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The 2026 Adventure Lens Grant is tied to the 2026 Rope Team Rising Youth Mountaineering Course on Komo Kulshan, taking place in late June / early July 2026.
Please familiarize yourself with the itinerary and demands of the expedition on the website of the Summit Scholarship’s operating partner AWExpeditions.
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All the same things that the classic Summit Scholarship for each expedition covers (trip fees, travel stipend, select gear)
Mentorship from The North Face athlete and director & DP of films Savannah Cummins
Budget for content creation deliverables, including photos, videos, or a multimedia project.
The Adventure Lens Grant does not cover:
Airfare to & from the location beyond the travel stipend
Travel insurance or mandatory rescue insurance
Extra hotel nights in town in case of early departure from the mountain
Beverages and personal expenses
Personal mountaineering gear not provided by sponsors (rentals are available)
Guide gratuity
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Adventure Lens Grant Candidates must be in very good physical condition. Previous backpacking experience is mandatory; previous experience with crampons & ice axe is highly recommended though not mandatory.
Keep in mind that you will be carrying heavier than your teammates due to your equipment needs.
You will have access to the same guides and instruction as all Summit Scholarship recipients, but keep in mind that your role on the expedition will be to plan, capture and produce visuals that tell a compelling story, which is incredibly hard to do if you are operating at the very edge of your physical ability.
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As the Adventure Lens Grant recipient, you’ll document the expedition with:
A curated selection of photographs or short videos showcasing the journey and participants, provided to the Summit Scholarship Foundation at no extra charge. These assets will remain your intellectual property but may be used by the Foundation for marketing, storytelling, and promotional purposes.
A paid storytelling piece (e.g., photo essay or short film) to share your experience and perspective, published on the Summit Scholarship Foundation’s channels. Ownership of this piece remains with you, though the Foundation will retain perpetual rights to use and share it.
Your work will not only spotlight the adventure but also help amplify the voices and stories of the women on the trip.
We will also facilitate an introduction to the Summit Scholarship Foundation’s partner brands including LOWA Boots, Nite Ize and Fjällräven, giving you the opportunity to pitch additional work and expand your network.Item description
Applications for the 2026 Summit Scholarship program are closed.
Adventure Lens Grant Alumna Feature
‘Vamos A La Playa’ was shot and produced by Britt Noel, the 2025 Adventure Lens Grant recipient, with mentorship from Savannah Cummins. Britt participated in an all-women expedition to Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, tracing the journey of Summit Scholarship recipients Alli Finn and Nana Nana while pushing her own climbing capabilities at high altitude.