Support students through our scholarship funds. Purchase your annual pin and raffle tickets by 11:59 p.m. on September 3. The raffle drawing will take place on September 4, 2024.
The 2024 University of Nevada, Reno Balloon Race Scholarship Committee pin features an assortment of buildings from the Reno skyline and the city's beautiful mountain landscape, peppered with hot air balloons. The pin commemorates the University of Nevada, Reno's Sesquicentennial Celebration, honoring 150 years of excellence from 1874-2024.
Thank you to Ashton Stowell for designing the 2024 Balloon Race Pin!
Ashton's pin design was inspired by the sunrise on the drive to school in the mornings. "A good memory of mine was my parents waking me up early to go to the Dawn Patrol," Ashton said. In the future, Ashton plans to take a gap year and travel to New Zealand and Australia, then attend Cal Poly Humboldt in Fall 2026.
The Balloon Race Scholarship Committee would like to thank the campus community for their support in the purchase of our pins and tickets that enable the Balloon Race Scholarship Committee to award our two yearly scholarships.
The University Balloon Race Scholarship Committee has been in existence since 1986, has awarded scholarship funds since the early 1990's and distributed scholarships to students each year since 1999. The committee exists solely to raise the money to award two scholarships a year, one to an undergraduate student and one to a graduate student.
Each year the committee designs a new balloon pin and secures prizes donated from the community. Also, the committee donates six balloon rides for the drawing in the University’s sponsored balloon. The raffle drawing is held on the Wednesday before the Balloon Races.
In addition to selling pins and drawing tickets prior to the race, the committee also supports a hospitality tent advertising the University and has pins available the day of the Race. Often our scholarship recipients donate their time at the hospitality tent taking donations for pins and talking about the University.
On Race weekend, all committee members can participate as much as possible by crewing for the University balloon and helping at the hospitality tent.
The Balloon Race Scholarship Committee's Grand Prize is a ride in our balloon at the GRBR (weather permitting and rider must be at least 18 years old). There will be six rides raffled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday fly dates on Sept. 6-8, 2024. Please join us for the media launch from the Quad on September 5, 2024.
The Great Reno Balloon Race is the largest free hot-air ballooning event in the world. During three days in early September, you can look up into the Reno skies and see a rainbow of hot air balloons soaring about.
Three Balloon Race Scholarships awarded ahead of the Great Reno Balloon Race
The University's Balloon Race Scholarship Committee awards scholarships to two undergraduate students and one masters student
Balloon Race Scholarship recipients awarded for 2022
Ashley Osborne and Shane Kapala receive the 2022 Balloon Race Scholarship
2021 University Balloon Race Scholarship Recipients
Alec Brennan and Vincent Lee receive the 2021 Balloon Race Scholarship
