"Hop Into the Animal Kingdom" Challenge

Welcome to the "Hop Into the Animal Kingdom" Challenge! 

To celebrate the release of Disney and Pixar’s 30th film, Hoppers, and the 30th anniversary of the Disney Conservation Fund, Disney and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots are teaming up to connect kids with nature and inspire 100,000 young people to "hop in" to make a difference in their communities.  As part of this celebration, Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots USA is launching a challenge throughout the United States to honor young people doing projects that help animals. 

This challenge is open to young people ages 13-19 in the United States who are registered for Roots & Shoots. Before you get started on this application, make sure you are registered (it's free!) at https://rootsandshoots.org/register/?utm_source=hoppers.

To participate in the challenge, you must be actively working on or have recently completed a Roots & Shoots project to help domestic or wild animals, or their habitats. Projects may be individual or collaborative and should be currently in progress or have been completed within the last three months. If your project was/is collaborative, your application should reflect how you serve(d) as a team leader or critical team member. 

Roots & Shoots staff will select challenge winners from around the country based on the quality and impact of their projects. More details about the selection process can be found below.

TIMELINE 

April 3 - Submissions due

April 17 - Winners notified

Late April - Winners announced publicly

Fall 2026 - Celebration and recognition of winners at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida

SELECTION PROCESS

Applications will be reviewed by Roots & Shoots staff and volunteers and will be assessed based on the following qualities: impact and results, creativity and innovation, sustainability and replicability, community engagement, and alignment with Roots & Shoots values.

Ten winners will be selected, two from each U.S. region: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. Please note, only one individual representing collaborative projects will be considered for the trip.

RECOGNITION FOR CHALLENGE WINNERS

All challenge winners will be recognized at the Walt Disney World Resort in the fall of 2026. Winners will receive free flights, lodging and some meals for themselves and up to three additional family members/chaperones. Winners will also be granted $500 to support their ongoing projects or kickstart new projects. Additionally, winners will be invited to participate in the selection of other Roots & Shoots projects for grant awards. 

ELIGIBILITY

You must be 13-19 years old at the time your application is submitted and you must be based in the United States. Your project must be in progress when you apply or have been completed within the last three months. You must also be a registered member of Roots & Shoots to apply or register as part of your application (it's free!) at https://rootsandshoots.org/register/?utm_source=hoppers

The following individuals are NOT eligible to participate:

• Employees, officers, directors, and agents of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (“Disney”) and their parent, affiliates and subsidiaries.
• Immediate family members (spouse, parents, children, siblings) and household members of the above.

The Application Process

Before you apply

1. Join Roots & Shoots - Sign up for free at https://rootsandshoots.org/register/?utm_source=hoppers
2. Create a Submittable account - Sign up for free by clicking here! Submittable is the platform we use for our applications and you will need an account to apply. The application will not load unless you are logged in to your Submittable account.

How to apply

1. Log in to your Submittable account.
2. Fill in the application form, which will appear at the bottom of this page if you are logged in.
3. If you can't finish in one sitting, click the "Save Draft" button before closing your window.
4. If you need to change your application after submitting it, you can request to edit the submission.
5. For technical help with using Submittable (this application platform), check out this webpage.

Using Roots & Shoots Resources

Roots & Shoots online resources help changemakers identify needs in their community and then plan and complete a service project. Demonstrating that you used any of our resources to help with your project and improve your changemaker skills could strengthen your application.   

Here is a list of some of our most popular resources:

• Roots & Shoots Project Planning Guide
• Roots & Shoots Toolkits
• Roots & Shoots 4-Step Formula
• Community Mapping (Step 2)
• Compassionate Traits Self-Assessment
• Roots & Shoots Online Course

This downloadable Hoppers Activity Packet from Disney and Pixar is a great resource too!

How We Review Applications

Your application will be reviewed by Roots & Shoots staff members and volunteers. The percentages in the section below show the weight assigned to category during the application review. 

Impact and results: 25%

Creativity and innovation: 20%

Sustainability and replicability: 20%

Alignment with Roots & Shoots values: 20%

Community engagement: 15%

RELEASE

By participating, entrants release Disney from any and all claims, damages, or liability arising from or related to Challenge participation or prize acceptance.

Questions? Email RootsandShoots@JaneGoodall.org.