The Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2027 is now accepting applications from individuals and groups proposing ambitious research projects or expeditions that advance geographical knowledge and improve understanding of the planet, its cultures, peoples and environments.
Offered by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), the award provides two grants of up to £10,000 each every year. Successful applicants are expected to demonstrate that their proposed project is genuinely challenging, has a clear research purpose and can generate new geographical insights.
The application deadline is 8 January 2027, while shortlisted applicants are scheduled to be interviewed on 22 February 2027.
Royal Geographical Society – Neville Shulman Challenge Awar
Established in 2001 by Neville Shulman CBE, the award supports projects that combine exploration, research and personal development through the challenges involved in undertaking fieldwork or an expedition.
According to the Royal Geographical Society, two awards of up to £10,000 are available each year.
The award is intended for projects that can demonstrate:
- A significant physical or practical challenge
- A challenging issue or research question
- Potential to generate new insights
- Local and global relevance
- A clear purpose to advance geographical knowledge
- Well-defined methods of data collection
- Opportunities to share findings widely
The Society also expects the grant to provide the majority of the funding required to undertake the proposed project.
Who Can Apply?
Applications are open to individuals and groups.
This makes the opportunity potentially suitable for researchers, explorers, multidisciplinary teams and other applicants developing substantial geographical research or expedition projects.
However, there is an important eligibility restriction:
Projects directly relating to PhD or MSc research will not be accepted.
Applicants should therefore ensure that their proposed project is not simply a component of an existing postgraduate research programme.
What Types of Projects Are Supported?
The award has supported a wide range of geographical research and exploration projects over the years.
The Society’s previous recipients demonstrate interests including:
- Environmental conservation
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
- Indigenous communities
- Cultural heritage
- Remote geographical exploration
- Human-environment relationships
- Scientific field research
- Community issues
- Geographical documentation
For example, the 2026 award supported Lisa Drewe’s “Attention All Shipping: Journeys Along Britain’s Fragile Island Edges,” which examined coastal connectivity, ecological indicators, coastal change and community-led adaptation across seventeen British islands.
Another 2026 project by Iva Njunjić focused on exploring caves in Montenegro’s Komarnica Canyon and documenting cave organisms to generate biodiversity information relevant to conservation.
These examples show the importance of combining a challenging expedition or research activity with a clearly defined geographical question and wider public or scientific value.
Key Requirements for a Strong Application
1. Demonstrate Why the Project Is Challenging
The Society specifically asks applicants to demonstrate the challenging nature of their project.
This can involve the physical demands of undertaking the expedition as well as the complexity or significance of the issue being investigated.
Applicants should clearly explain what makes the project difficult and why overcoming those challenges is important to achieving its objectives.
2. Explain the New Insights You Expect to Generate
A compelling proposal should go beyond describing an interesting journey.
Applicants need to explain what new insights the project will produce and how those findings will contribute to geographical knowledge.
3. Include Local and Global Significance
The proposed project should have elements of both local and global interest.
A project may focus on a specific community, ecosystem, landscape or region while also addressing questions with wider geographical, environmental or social significance.
4. Provide Clear Data-Collection Methods
The application should outline how information will be collected during the research or expedition.
The methodology should be closely connected to the project’s objectives and demonstrate that the proposed work can produce meaningful findings.
5. Explain How Findings Will Be Shared
Applicants should consider how the results will reach audiences beyond the immediate research team.
The Society specifically highlights opportunities to share findings widely, making public engagement and effective communication an important component of a proposal.
How Much Funding Is Available?
The Neville Shulman Challenge Award provides:
| Funding detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Number of awards | 2 per year |
| Maximum award | Up to £10,000 each |
| Eligible applicants | Individuals and groups |
| Main purpose | Challenging research projects and expeditions |
| Funding expectation | Grant should provide the majority of project funding |
| MSc/PhD projects | Not eligible if directly related to the research |
Applicants should develop a realistic budget showing how the requested funding will support the project’s core activities.
2027 Deadline and Interview Date
There are two important dates for prospective applicants:
Application deadline: 8 January 2027
Interviews: 22 February 2027
Because the award is competitive, applicants should allow sufficient time to develop the project proposal, methodology and budget before submitting their application.
How to Apply for the Neville Shulman Challenge Award
Prospective applicants should first read the Royal Geographical Society’s guidance for Society grant applicants. The guidance provides information about the grants programme, conditions, application process and expectations for successful applicants.
Applications and enquiries should be submitted by email to grants@rgs.org.
Read the RGS grant application guidance
Apply and check the official award details
Previous Neville Shulman Challenge Award Projects
The history of the award provides useful insight into the range of projects that have previously received support.
Recent examples include research into:
- Fragile island environments in Britain
- Cave biodiversity and conservation in Montenegro
- Desert ecosystems and the Central Asian tortoise
- The Kalash communities of northern Pakistan
- Indigenous perspectives on conservation and carbon credits in Guyana
- The Barren Lands of Canada
- Bon communities and climate change in Nepal
- Biodiversity in Mozambique’s Njesi Plateau
- The Naryn River and climate change in Central Asia
- Cultural traditions among communities in India and Myanmar
- Amazonian Indigenous knowledge
- Environmental issues in Borneo
- Mountain communities in the former Yugoslavia
- Glaciological research around Antarctica
This broad history demonstrates that the award is not limited to one type of geography. What matters is the project’s ability to meet the programme’s objectives around challenge, exploration, research, geographical knowledge and wider relevance.
Why This Grant Could Be Valuable
For an applicant with a well-developed geographical expedition or field research idea, the Neville Shulman Challenge Award could provide a substantial contribution toward making the project possible.
The maximum £10,000 award can provide the majority of the funding required for a suitably designed project, while the association with the Royal Geographical Society can also add credibility to an initiative focused on geographical exploration and research.
However, applicants should pay close attention to the programme’s criteria. A project should not be presented merely as an adventure or travel experience. The proposal needs to establish a clear geographical purpose, research methodology, challenging element, expected insights and plan for sharing findings.
Application Checklist
Before submitting an application, prospective applicants should make sure they can clearly answer the following questions:
- What geographical issue will the project investigate?
- Why is the project challenging?
- What new knowledge or insights will it generate?
- What makes the project locally and globally relevant?
- How will data be collected?
- How will the findings be communicated?
- Is the project independent of MSc or PhD research?
- Can the proposed budget demonstrate that the grant will provide the majority of the required funding?
- Can the project realistically be delivered within the proposed plan?
Final Thoughts
The Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2027 is an important funding opportunity for individuals and groups developing ambitious geographical research projects and expeditions.
With two awards of up to £10,000 each, the programme is particularly relevant to projects exploring environmental, cultural, geographical and community issues where fieldwork can generate new insights.
The key deadline to remember is 8 January 2027, followed by interviews on 22 February 2027.
Anyone considering applying should carefully review the official Royal Geographical Society requirements and ensure that their proposal clearly demonstrates challenge, geographical purpose, robust data collection, new insights, local and global relevance, and meaningful dissemination of findings.
Official Royal Geographical Society Award Information
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