Nepali Travelers, a group that aims to encourage women to become independent and to instill confidence, has announced ‘an open travel grant challenge’—Solo Woman Travel Challenge 2016—’to encourage women travelers in Nepal and inspire them through their independent journeys’.

According to the organisers, interested women have to submit their independent travel plans—to anywhere in Nepal—so as to participate at the challenge (‘’all you need to do is create a profile and submit a travel itinerary to a place you have never visited before in Nepal’’); and the top 10 awardees will receive a minimum grant of Rs10,000 for their travel projects; moreover, top three awardees, ranked by popular voting, will receive full funding of their travels, irrespective of their travel budget.

“We believe that independent travelling builds character, adds confidence and instils creativity. Through this solo woman challenge, we also want to bring forth the discourse on travel, gender and risks,” Nepali Travelers said in a statement. Submissions for the competition opened on May 1 while online voting to shortlist the candidates will begin from May 6 and will end on May 15, and the winners’ name will be announced subsequently.

The organisers, however, target to touch upon a larger social issue with the project: “We believe that independent traveling builds character, adds confidence, and instills creativity. Through this challenge, we also want to bring forth the discourse on travel, gender, and risks.”