Contest Entry Tips

Before you enter the Higher Goals contest portal

Preparing your files in advance will make the online submission process much smoother.

1. Familiarize yourself with the list of categories and their requirements.
2. Select the categories you want to enter.
3. Select the entries you want to submit.
4. Prepare the files the judges will view.
   1. PRINT: PDF files are recommended, but JPG or PNG files are acceptable for single-page entries (not applicable to entries that are required to be mailed).
   2. DIGITAL: Compile the URLs into a Word document for easy copy-and-paste into the contest platform.
5. IMPORTANT: 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 copy submissions.
6. If the entry is a multi-page PDF, please select and crop one page or a portion of one page that best illustrates the entry. Upload as a JPEG or PNG.
7. Now enter the contest portal, upload and complete your entries. Please read the instructions for each entry carefully as you make the entry.

About listing Credits for your entries

In Higher Goals, for most categories do not list your entire staff. Only list the one (or more) individual(s) specifically responsible for the entry (author, photographer, designer, etc.). Who wrote the article? Who designed the art? Who took the photo? That’s it. No one else.

For a few entries (i.e., Feature Article, Single Theme Issue, Titles, Publication Design, Video, etc.) that are a collaboration of multiple staffers, it is appropriate to list more names, but still only those who directly contributed to the entry being submitted.

About the Two-Page Spread category

This is best presented as a complete single image file of both pages. Judges prefer not to review two separate pages that they have to imagine side-by-side.

Combining payments

If you are submitting entries for both Higher Goals and Awards of Excellence, you may combine the total into a single payment.

If you are submitting entries for multiple membership titles, you may combine the total into a single payment. But please, provide a breakdown, by title, of the total of entries for each title so we can allocate the payment appropriately.

About shipping to Nashville

All traditional print entries in the Awards of Excellence and four categories of the Higher Goals require hard copies. EPA highly recommends using a shipping service that provides tracking (FedEx, UPS, or USPS Express Mail). USPS Priority Mail is okay if shipped a week before the deadline. Shipments from Canada also require more time.