Contest Overview
EPA hosts two annual contests: the Awards of Excellence contest (for your publication as a whole) and the Higher Goals contest (for the individual pieces you and your team produced—writing, photography, design, etc.). Both contests open in mid November and the entry deadline for both is late January. Entries must be from work published during the previous calendar year. Awards are announced during the annual EPA convention.
Contest Fees
- Awards of Excellence — $55 per entry
- Higher Goals — $30 per entry
The 2026 contest is open now. The entry deadline for the 2026 contest is January 23, 2026.
Winners will be announced at the Awards Presentation during the EPA convention in Nashville, TN, on May 11-13, 2026.
New for 2026
Awards of Excellence
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Multiple categories allowed — Contestants may now enter more than one category as long as they are a logical fit for the additional category. For example, a denominational newspaper could enter both the Newspaper category and the Denominational category. Or a news-focused website in the General category might also qualify for the Newspaper/Online News category.
Higher Goals
- New Category: 610 Visual Storytelling
Continued from 2025
Awards of Excellence
- Traditional is defined as a print or PDF-generated publication
- Digital is defined as a content-driven website
Higher Goals
- Associate members (freelancers) may enter any Higher Goal category for which they have an appropriate entry.
Awards of Excellence — Start Here
Returning/Experienced Users — If you are a returning user and are already familiar with the contest entry system, you can go directly to the contest platform.
Enter Awards of Excellence Platform
Enter Higher Goals Platform