Media Contact:Stasia RainesThe Outdoor Foundationsraines@outdoorfoundation.org619.957.9891

Southern Utah University Takes Home Title of National Outdoor Champion in the 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge

100,000 outdoor activities were logged by nearly 20,000 individuals participating in the Mother-Nature-Meets-March-Madness competition.

(October 19, 2015) Washington DC – Competition in the 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus

Challenge was fierce, ending Saturday with Southern Utah University winning the title of

National Outdoor Champion. The school’s student body and surrounding community logged

over 20,000 outdoor activities with 2,500 people participating. In total, 57 colleges and

universities across the country logged 100,000 outdoor activities with nearly 20,000 people

participating in the six-week challenge. Individuals were encouraged to get outside through a

gameified format that featured prizes from presenting partners REI and The North Face. Other

weekly sponsors include Adidas, Chaco, Osprey, and Coleman among others.

“Congratulations to Southern Utah University! We are so inspired by the incredible energy,

ideas and commitment that all of the competing schools and students demonstrated –

mobilizing nearly 20,000 participants to log almost 100,000 outdoor activities,” said Chris

Fanning executive director of Outdoor Foundation, the organization that launched the Outdoor

Nation Campus Challenge. “It’s so exciting to see the Campus Challenge scale in such a dramatic

way and show the power, passion and potential that young people have to change campus

culture and ultimately create a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts.”

The premise of the Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge is simple; universities compete to see

which campus can get the most people outside and active. Think Mother Nature meets March

Madness. Through contests, prizes and good ‘ole fashion rivalry, universities provided

incentives to their student bodies and larger communities. Prizes include title of Most

Outdoorsy Individual as well as a gear bank from The North Face and REI as well as head-to-toe

outfitting from The North Face.

The United States is battling epidemics like obesity and other symptoms of sedentary lifestyles

across all cultures and communities. Using an incentivized format featuring premium prizes for

both campuses and individuals, paired with the power of social media, momentum for the

Challenge quickly spread and continued to grow over the six weeks. In fact, this year it has 57

schools enrolled, up from 10 in its pilot year, 2014.

The only of its kind, the Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge runs each fall with a call for

participants kicking off in the spring. The 2015 Challenge aims to engage young people in

outdoor recreation—rewarding schools with the most outdoor activities logged by the most

people in their campus network (students, faculty, alumni and local community). The school

with the most participants and outdoor activities will be named the National Outdoor

Champion, and the top individual will be crowned Outsider of the Year.

To learn more, please visit oncampuschallenge.org or contact us.

About the Outdoor Foundation & Outdoor Nation The Outdoor Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and growing future generations of outdoor enthusiasts. Through groundbreaking research, action-oriented outreach and education programs, the Foundation works with partners to mobilize a major cultural shift that leads all Americans to the great outdoors. In 2010, the Foundation launched Outdoor Nation, a pioneering initiative that aims to empower young leaders to champion the outdoors on campuses and in communities across the United States. For more information visit OutdoorFoundation.org and OutdoorNation.org.