NRF Student Ambassador Program

Length of Term

Student Ambassadors hold their positions from February to January of each year.

The position is a year-long commitment. If all requirements are completed and submitted by the assigned deadline, the Student Ambassador will be eligible to receive a travel stipend award. Ambassadors must not be graduating in the year they hold the position. They must still be undergraduate students in January 2027.

Award Structure

Student Ambassadors must select at least seven out of the ten requirements listed below to successfully complete the program.

Ambassadors who complete these requirements will receive a $1,000 travel stipend award to attend the 2027 NRF Foundation Student Program in NYC, Jan. 7-10, 2027, as recognition for their achievement.

Ambassadors will also receive a $250 e-gift card in December 2026. These awards (travel stipend and gift card) will be sent out by early December 2026 upon the completion of spring and fall 2026 requirements.

Successful ambassador submissions should include the following elements:

• Excellent dedication and effort towards the program, with at least 7 out of 10 requirements completed on time and to a high standard.

  • Important: requirement #6 is mandatory for all Student Ambassadors to complete and counts as 1 of the 10 requirements (not 3 requirements out of the 10). Requirement #7, our Soles4Souls community service project, is also mandatory for all ambassadors.

• Creativity in creating events (in-person or virtual), materials, messages and social media posts that appeal to their student body and describe NRF Foundation programs accurately.

  • In the sign-up process, students can select that they heard about this program via their campus Student Ambassador.

• Clear effort in planning topics shared via social media with particular thought given to the balance of different topics and timing of messages each month.

Uploading Requirements

All requirements will be uploaded and submitted on Kaleidoscope. For the promotion of scholarships and programs, screenshots of social media posts and/or emails will be required.

Deadlines

🌸 2026 Spring semester requirements are listed below and must be uploaded by Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

🍁 2026 Fall semester requirements will be released by September 2026 and will be due early November 2026.

Materials Provided

• Ambassador toolkit including official NRF Foundation logos, graphics and images.

• Slide deck about the NRF Foundation and myth-busting retail careers.

• Slide deck about the Student Program and related scholarships.

• NRF Foundation videos and content pieces.

Important: please only refer to us as the NRF Foundation and use the NRF Foundation logo, not NRF or the NRF logo. We are separate entities, and our student initiatives are run entirely by the Foundation, not NRF. You may design your own NRFSA logos, but please do not create your own logos using our branding.

Spring 2026 Requirements

Download the Student Ambassador Program Requirements

Location to upload your Spring 2026 requirements.

Upload Deadlines for Promotional Work

For your promotional work (requirement #6), take a screenshot including the context as to where the social post was posted. If you are sending a larger group email, be sure that you are the one sending this email and that we are able to see how many students this email was sent out to in the screenshot.

• February Promotional Work: Saturday, Feb. 28, 11:59 p.m. ET

• March Promotional Work: Tuesday, March 31, 11:59 p.m. ET

• April Promotional Work: Friday, May 1, 11:59 p.m. ET

All requirements must be uploaded on time to be eligible to receive awards. Students will only be eligible once they complete both their Spring and Fall requirements in 2026.

1. Grow your NRFSA chapter by at least 15 new members

Connect students with learning and career opportunities within the retail industry. Tap into your network, share the opportunities and benefits of engaging with the NRF Foundation, and encourage them to join.

• Of the 15 new members, 5 students must be from outside your major or school/department.

• To join, students must sign up for NRF Foundation updates here using their university email address.

• Please keep track of your list of students who sign up to submit a PDF including this list in your Kaleidoscope application.

2. Subscribe to NRF SmartBrief and encourage NRFSA members to sign up.

This free email newsletter is a twice-weekly snapshot of career paths, building professional skills and the latest news and trends of the retail industry. Stay up to date and share interesting news, job postings, advice and more with your campus.

NRF SmartBrief Newsletter

3. Host a virtual or in-person workshop for students to learn about the NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship and/or University Challenge team case competition

Invite your NRFSA club members or any other students to attend a workshop where you walk through one or both scholarship competitions, explain the timeline and process, share our scholarship videos and encourage students to take the first steps in the application processes.

• Retail's Next Generation Scholarship

• University Retail Challenge

If your school has had past participants, semifinalists or finalists for either competition, invite them to attend and their experience and advice with students. Reach out to us via email if you would like a list of students from your school who applied in the past couple of years. Connect with your NRFSA advisor as well to have them speak with students and help them through the initial phases of the application or of forming a team for the University Challenge.

Document your event through pictures or videos (if your event is virtual, take a screenshot of your meeting) and upload it to Kaleidoscope.

4. Help your university secure an applicant for the NRF Foundation Retail's Next Generation Scholarship

The Retail's Next Generation Scholarship is the pinnacle achievement for students interested in pursuing careers in retail. This opportunity was created for students of various academic backgrounds who have demonstrated leadership skills, previous retail experience and a passion for making an impact.

The NRF Foundation and retail executive judges are searching for high-performing students who demonstrate a passion for retail and a unique, innovative perspective on our industry to apply for the Retail's Next Generation Scholarship. Recipients will be ambitious, adaptable and have the potential to impact the future of retail.

Help your NRFSA advisor recruit applicants for the first round of this scholarship.

Application deadline: May 26, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET

Retail's Next Generation Scholarship details and application

Scholarship Qualifications

• Juniors or seniors enrolled full time at a university member school at the time when the scholarship is presented in January 2027 (Note: current sophomores can apply if they will be of junior standing in January 2027)

• Must not have previously received an award of $10,000 or more from the NRF Foundation

• Must be U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents eligible to work in the United States

• Must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale

• Must have prior or current experience working in a retail job or internship. This could be anything from working as a bagger at a grocery store or a server/host at a restaurant to having a summer internship with a retailer.

• Students in any major are eligible. Possible majors include business, merchandising, supply chain, analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, retail studies, computer science, marketing, communications, etc.

Record the name and email address of the applicant/s that will be submitting their application for the Next Generation Scholarship and upload it to Kaleidoscope.

5. Help your advisor recruit at least one team of 3-4 students to take part in the NRF Foundation University Retail Challenge

The NRF Foundation University Retail Challenge 2026-27 is now live with the deadline of September 22, 2026. The case partner for this year’s competition is Wayfair.

Interested applicants must check with their school’s NRF Advisor to see how they are selecting teams to enter. Participating students must be sophomores or above at the time the scholarship is awarded in January 2027.

Record their names and email addresses and upload your list to Kaleidoscope.

6. Promote NRF Foundation scholarships and programs

Mandatory for all ambassadors

Promote NRF Foundation opportunities around your campus, on social media channels and/or via email and LinkedIn. Scholarship participation exposes NRFSA members to retail recruiters and executives. Make sure your school/university is represented in the applicant pools.

Posts and/or emails should be uploaded to Kaleidoscope monthly with the appropriate time stamps for each month.

7. Participate in or host one community service project

Mandatory for all ambassadors

Option 1: Community Service Project: Soles4Souls

The NRF Foundation Student Ambassador Program and Soles4Souls are teaming up to make a big impact in 2026! Our goal as a collective Student Ambassador program is to collect 15,000 pairs of new or gently worn shoes, combining all of our efforts to expand this program onto your campuses.

Here is what that impact looks like:

• We divert 18,750 pounds from going to local landfills, reducing the environmental impact of these unwanted shoes and clothing by extending their lifespan.

• Your donations can create $13,5750 of economic opportunity for families and communities around the world through our 4Opportunity and 4Relief programs.

• In countries like Haiti and Honduras, your donations can provide a full year of consistent, quality food, housing and education for 15 families.

In order to successfully complete this requirement, you should aim to collect at least 50 pairs of shoes this semester (with 100-150 pairs of shoes being a goal to reach for) this spring on your campus.

Learn more about Soles4Souls here on their website: Soles4Souls | Turning shoes and clothing into opportunity.

Soles4Souls contact: Sydni Moore at Sydnim@soles4souls.org.

Option 2: Select your own community service project to participate in

Community service and involvement is at the core of any successful retailer’s business. Retailers dedicate time and resources year-round to giving back and creating positive change in their communities, whether it be through sustainability efforts, engagement in local surroundings, or global service programs that connect employees and customers through a passion for making a difference. In the face of incredibly challenging circumstances this year, retailers continue to dedicate extra efforts to supporting communities and participating in relief and aid initiatives, demonstrating that giving back is and remains a core principle.

We want you to participate in or host a service project in your community, either virtually or in-person. Examples include:

• Organizing a canned-food drive, clothing drive, mask-making/donation drive

• Fundraising for retail-related initiatives such as Dress for Success, Soles4Souls, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, etc.

• Participating in a virtual volunteering opportunity – find opportunities on AllForGood, VolunteerMatch or other similar platforms

• Participating in any school-hosted service days, registered as an NRFSA group (Earth Day, World Serve Day, Alternative Spring Break, MLK Day, etc.)

  • Gather at least 5 members of your NRFSA group to participate in a project, or conduct the project on your own

  • Take pictures/screenshots and share your service project experience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn and tag the appropriate nrffoundation account

  • Submit a written description of your experience as part of your requirements on Kaleidoscope

8. Host at least one virtual or in-person meeting NRFSA meeting

Discuss NRF Foundation programs, the University Retail Challenge competition, the Retail's Next Generation Scholarship, and any other relevant topics for your group. A slide deck will be provided to guide the content of your meeting.

Document your event through pictures or videos (if your event is virtual, take a screenshot of your meeting) and upload it to Kaleidoscope.

Note: This is a separate requirement from requirement #3 (which is a scholarship workshop / working session) and should be 2 separate meetings.

9. Share success stories about students on your campus that have experienced NRF Foundation programs

We want to hear what you and your classmates are accomplishing and past, present, or future experiences that resulted from participating in your campus NRFSA, receiving a scholarship or attending past Student Programs or NRF Foundation virtual events. This is great exposure for your classmates to the hundreds of retail leaders who follow our social channels and hire talent! NRF Foundation Student Ambassador Program Spring 2026

• If students held a retail job or internship, find out how they got the position, what they did in their role and how their experience has impacted their career path.

• Celebrate their experiences by sharing at least one story on your social channels and/or email and tag the appropriate nrffoundation account

  • Be sure to create a social media post to share this success story! Note: This social post will be in addition to your 3 promotions per month requirement (ex: if you post this in March, you should have at least 4 social posts for this month, including this one, since this is a separate requirement).

  • Bonus: identify a student that is in a non-retail, non-marketing major (i.e. technology, supply chain, finance, analytics, entrepreneurship, etc.).

You will be able to upload screenshots or a file of your stories to Kaleidoscope

Note: this is a separate requirement from #6 (3 monthly promotions) and does not could for both requirements.

10. Create and submit a calendar of events for your Student Ambassador activities

Upload a calendar of events detailing your NRFSA meetings, activities, and anything else you have planned during the semester related to your Student Ambassador role. Please also include the dates of your social media posts and/or emails.

There are no formatting rules for the calendar, except that the calendar should include the full semester (February through April). Upload your format of choice into Kaleidoscope at the end of the semester.