Awards of Excellence Entry Instructions
The 2025 Awards of Excellence contest is now open for entries. The entry deadline is January 24, 2025 — 12 midnight (ET), 11pm (CT), 10pm (MT), 9pm (PT). Entries will not be accepted after that date and time.
- Only current EPA members are eligible to enter the contest (dues paid for 2025).
- All entries must be submitted online.
- The cost is $55 for each Awards of Excellence entry.
- If you hold multiple publication memberships or dual membership (print and digital), you will need to complete the entry process separately for each title/membership.
- All entries must be from work published during 2024. Of course, digital entries for content-driven websites will be judged in real-time.
- All entries will require an upload of a sample JPG or PNG image of a cover (print entries) or screenshot (digital entries) for use in the awards presentation if it is a winner.
- All print entries will require you to mail two hard copies of consecutive issues.
- Hard copies that will be shipped for judging must arrive at the designated Nashville address by January 29, 2025.
BEFORE YOU ENTER THE CONTEST PORTAL:
Preparing your files in advance will make the online submission process much smoother.
- Familiarize yourself with the list of categories and their requirements.
- Select the categories you want to enter.
- Select your entries.
- Prepare the files the judges will view. PDF files are recommended, but JPG or PNG files are also okay for single-page entries (not applicable to entries that are required to be mailed in or digital entries accessed via URLs).
- Prepare a JPG or PNG file of a single image representing the entry for use in the awards presentation and on certificates if your entry is a winner. This would typically be an image of the entry or a cover image representing the publication or a screenshot of a web page for digital entries accessed by URLs. This is required for all entries including those requiring hard copies submissions.
Now you are ready to enter the contest portal and submit your entries.
How to submit entries through the Contest Portal:
The Awards of Excellence and Higher Goals contests are separate contests and require you to set up individual logins for each contest, although the logins may be identical.
Chrome is the recommended browser, although Firefox may work better on older systems.
- Enter the Awards of Excellence contest website. Keep these instructions open in another window for reference as you submit your first entry.
Awards of Excellence — Enter Contest Here
2. Select your publication title from the drop-down box under “Select Media Organization.” (Look for your publication title and not your organization’s name.) If you’re not listed, call 1-888-311-1731 or email an inquiry to epacontest@evangelicalpress.com.
NOTE: Contestant Manager is the default selection and represents you, the person managing your entries. DO NOT change this to Authorized Entrant unless you have been set up by your publication’s Contestant Manager as an additional Authorized Entrant (this is very rare).
3. Enter your Better Newspaper Contest password. This is NOT the same as your EPA website password.
FIRST-TIME USERS: If this is your first time to use the Better Newspaper Contest site, log in using the default password “bnc,” then see step 4.
RETURN USERS: Log in using the same password you used last year and skip step 4. If you have lost track of that password, try “bnc”. If that does not work, then choose “Forgot Password” for it to be emailed to the address on the account. If that fails, or you are not the same person who submitted your publication’s entries last year, or you no longer have access to the email on the account, call 1-888-311-1731 or email epacontest@evangelicalpress.com to reset the account.
4. If you logged in using the default “bnc” password, you’ll likely be asked to create a new password. After that, you will be able to submit one or two entries, then the site will close and an email will be sent to the address you used to log in. You will need to click on the link in that email to continue. This is a security feature of the website.
5. From the “Manage Entries” page, select “Submit Entry.”
6. Division & Category — Choose the appropriate contest Division (print or digital) and Category (youth, missions, etc.). Be sure to read any notes in yellow about the submission requirements.
If you have a question about your contest category, call 1-888-311-1731 or email epacontest@evangelicalpress.com. Click here for a list of Awards of Excellence categories.
You may enter no more than once in each Division, except print members may also enter the Most Improved Category. If you hold both print and digital memberships, you will repeat this process for each entry.
7. Headline/Title of Entry — This should be your publication name.
8. Attachments, Links, and Hard Copies — To upload digital file attachments, click Browse, navigate to the desired file, select Open, and click Upload.
Print members: Upload a JPG or PNG image of one cover for use in the awards presentation and on certificates if it is a winner.
Digital members: Upload a JPG or PNG of a screenshot of your home page for use in the awards presentation and on certificates if it is a winner.
Digital members: Enter complete URL(s) in the provided URL field(s). In most cases this will be your primary URL. Make sure the content will be accessible online throughout the contest and judging process.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure that items are not behind a paywall or a password-protected area. If they are, you must provide username/password info in the Comments section of your entry. (Judges and contest officials will not create an account or download special software to access the content.) Judges may disqualify an entry without a refund if samples are inaccessible.
9. Comments, Credits, and Other Info — Add brief notes you feel may be helpful for the judge in the Comments box. This is also where you can enter login information for the judge, if required.
Use the name fields to credit up to six of those responsible for the entry content.
10. Click “Submit Entry.”
11. For each entry that requires two hard copies to be mailed (all print entries), print the label (which automatically appears after each entry is submitted), put your publications into a folder and attach the label to the outside of the folder. Hard copy entries must arrive in Nashville, TN by January 29, 2025. We strongly encourage the use of guaranteed service with tracking.
Ship to:
D6 Family Ministry
ATTN: EPA Contest | Danny Conn
114 Bush Road
Nashville, TN 37217
615-618-9160
12. Go to “Manage Entries” to view, edit, or delete entries and to submit additional entries.
13. Payment for Entries — When you have completed all entries, you can calculate your total entry fees using the “Calculate Entry Fee” link available on the upper right-hand side of the “Manage entries” page. The cost is $55 for each Awards of Excellence entry.
That page includes a link that says, “Click to enter payment information,” which will open a new payment page on the EPA website where you can make a secure credit card payment. You will need to enter the amount directly into the payment page—it will not be entered automatically.
For your convenience, you may combine the payments for the Awards of Excellence and Higher Goals contests. You may also combine payments for the entries from more than one publication, but you must clearly itemize each publication and their respective number of Higher Goals entries and Awards of Excellence entries in the description box on the payment page.
If you prefer to pay by check…
Send payment to:
Evangelical Press Association
P.O. Box 1787
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Other notes:
- You can authorize other people to make entries. For more detailed instructions, follow this link: http://betterbncsupport.com/images/ContestantManager_Instructions_4_3.pdf
- For details about the contests and categories, check the sidebar menu.
- Do you have questions regarding the entry process, login/password issues, membership status, Awards of Excellence categories, payment or any general question? Just call or email. For immediate assistance, try calling first.
Executive Director
Lamar Keener
1-888-311-1731
epacontest@evangelicalpress.com