Head Outside Awards USA - Appalachian Trail Days Festival - Damascus, Virginia - May 17th, 2024

Head Outside Awards USA - Appalachian Trail Days Festival - Damascus, Virginia - May 17th, 2024

  • Celebrating the Heroes who Head Outside

Head Outside Awards USA - Appalachian Trail Days Festival - Damascus, Virginia - May 17th, 2024

Head Outside Awards USA - Appalachian Trail Days Festival - Damascus, Virginia - May 17th, 2024

Celebrating the individuals and organizations who harness the power of our natural world to improve mental health

Inspire & Connect. Raise awareness. Break down barriers. Share incredible stories.

Organizational categories

  • The "Outstanding Organization" award recognizes organizations that have made a significant impact in improving people’s mental health through harnessing the power of our natural world. These organizations are recognized for their role as ambassadors of wellbeing policies, demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting the mental health of both the people they serve and their employees. This award celebrates their impact in transforming lives and promoting best practices.

  • The "Outstanding Community" award honors communities or peer support groups that excel in creating opportunities for people to access our natural world to improve their mental health. Recognizing communities for their exceptional efforts in making the outdoors accessible for those with mental health challenges, this award also celebrates communities who inspire people of all backgrounds to engage with our natural world to facilitate ways to well-being. It underscores the importance of community involvement in promoting mental health through outdoor experiences.

  • The Change Maker Awards celebrates an organization that has created meaningful change to the way we support people with their mental health through impactful activities, projects or policies. This award recognizes pioneers who have increased access to the outdoors through their activities or made outdoor activity more accessible.

Individual categories

  • The "Head Outside Hero" award is given to an individual who has shown extraordinary commitment to promoting the mental health benefits of our natural world. This award recognizes someone who is a positive force, whether or not they have personal experience with mental illness. Their efforts in using the outdoors to promote mental health, fundraise or campaign for change make them a true hero in this field.

  • The "Wellbeing Warrior" award recognizes an individual who in overcoming their mental health challenges, has dedicated their life to improving the mental health and wellbeing of others. This award celebrates their commitment to helping others in their mental health journeys, acknowledging the significant impact of their efforts. This individual will be considered by others to be a positive role model who has improved or enriched the lives of other

  • This award will be chosen by a Foundation established in memory of someone who lost their life to suicide. This award will be used to highlight social issues and act as a beacon for change.

Head Outside Awards UK 2023 Recap

HEAD OUTSIDE AWARDS

APPALACHIAN TRAIL DAYS FESTIVAL

LAURAL CREEK PARK

DAMASCUS, VIRGINA

MAY 17TH, 2024

The Appalachian Trail Days Festival is the biggest event of the year in Damascus and the world's largest celebration of the Appalachian Trail! It’s the perfect location for the Head Outside Awards given both the Founder and the Director have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. That’s how they met! Each year in May, the town swells to an estimated 20,000 people for a celebration of the Appalachian Trail and hiker culture. You can expect over a hundred vendors of handmade goods and some of the best outdoor gear in the industry, a packed schedule of live music and events, and a large crowd of trail supporters and hiking enthusiasts. Trail Days is free to attend, with a fee for overnight camping at Tent City.