On Wednesday 26 January, 7:00 pm CET, the prizes of the #sheisoutdoors winter 2022 edition award will be announced during a digital live stream event.
This is the first award for outdoor sports products specially dedicated to women.
More than 20 signed up with a total of 43 products (complete list here) that will compete in 6 categories: Outdoor Professionals and Expedition; Hardware; Footwear; Apparel; Snow Sports, and Urban Outdoor.
An expert jury made up of industry specialists has during these months has tested and evaluated all submitted products, judging them on: functionality, quality, choice of materials, sustainability, innovation, usability, target group and design. There will be one gold winner and up to two winners. The jury will also award one women’s outdoor product as the overall winner and the product with the highest contribution to environmental sustainability.
The event on live streaming
The winners of the winter award will be presented in a live stream event on January 26th, starting at 7:00 pm CET. This event is free of charge and open for everybody and can be accessed via website, Facebook or the Award’s YouTube channel (the link will be communicated here in a few days). At the end there is the possibility of a direct exchange with the participating brands and the jury on wonder.me.
You can find the timeline and further information about the Award Ceremony on the #she is outdoors website.
Program on Live Stream – January 26, 2022
· 7:00 pm CET Welcome to the #sheisoutdoors event and inspirational Keynote
· 7:30 pm CET Award show and announcement of winners
· 7:45 pm CET Discussion group with the Jury and the team · 8:15 pm CET Meet & Mingle on Wonder.me – Q&A
The jury and the team fought against all odds to assure in-depth test results
The winners of the WOMEN’S GEAR AWARD #she is outdoors are chosen – the whole team & jury fought against all odds to assure in-depth test results.
On January 14 and 15, the jury members Alexa Dehmel, Claar Talsma, Astrid Schlüchter, Christina Stahl and Anny Cardinahl met foundress Jana Erb in Dietramszell for the final jury meeting of the winter award 2022 to test and evaluate all the submitted products one last time before selecting the winners of this season. Starting of with a winter hike to the Schürfenkopf in Gaißach, they tested and discussed the products. But it wasn’t their first hands on experience as the products have been sent to the jury members for some in-depth testing period over 1.5 months. Now the expert jury could compare their personal experiences with the gear and share their results. At the conference venue Ökologisches Tagungshaus Linden the jury virtually got together with the other jury members who couldn’t make it to the meeting in person because of covid, Alexandra Schweikart, Kim Scholze, Pamela Ravasio, Cath Prisk, Joanne Wissink, Lorraine Huber and Jaqueline Bergemann. Together they all filled their rating sheets for all the products, compared and discussed the results afterwards and made their decisions for these seasons winners.
About the Award and why we need it
“Women have come a long and difficult way in the Outdoor industry. We have snuck out of the house and climbed steep peaks wearing long skirts – no one has talked about it publicly. We had idols, like Lynn Hill, the first person to free climb “the nose” in 1993. Today, many girls and women are free to enjoy outdoor adventure as men have always done” explains Jana Erb.
Women’s gear has also evolved, from floral prints on rain jackets to specifically tailored women’s backpacks, clothing, women’s hiking boots and all the other wonderful things we know and use every day. Women have come a long way – but they are not there yet. It is time to stop ‘adapting’ men’s products and start designing them specifically for women and their interests and needs, without compromises. “Someone might object: ‘Another prize! Do we need it?’ We believe we do: brands can tell stories that inspire girls to climb impressive peaks, they can support women who travel long distances and cross uncharted territories” explains Miriam Mayer.
Jana Erb and Miriam Mayer are photographers and digital creatives from Munich (Germany), Maria is an event manager in the outdoor industry. After many years in the outdoor industry, they decided to realise their long-cherished dream and create the first award dedicated exclusively to outdoor products designed for women.
“Our goal is to push the technical aspects of outdoor products designed for women beyond floral prints and ‘pink it and shrink it’” explains Miriam Mayer.