Higher Goals Entry Instructions

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The 2024 Higher Goals 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 $30 for each Higher Goals awards entry.
  • All entries must be from work published during 2024.
  • The files must be submitted in such a way as to prove publication (PDFs, JPGs, PNGs) of actual pages as published with the date of issue. Articles submitted as Word documents are not acceptable. Digital entries should be date-stamped.
  • You may submit up to two entries for most categories.
  • All entries will require uploaded files or URLs.
  • Four Higher Goals entries (Photography Use, Publication Design, Publication Redesign, Single-Theme Section or Issue) require you to mail hard copies.
  • 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.

  1. Familiarize yourself with the list of categories and their requirements.
  2. Select the categories you want to enter.
  3. Select your entries.
  4. 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).
  5. 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.

Now you are ready to enter the contest portal and submit your entries.

How to submit entries through the Contest Portal:

The Higher Goals and Awards of Excellence 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.

  1. Enter the Higher Goals contest website. Keep these instructions open in another window for reference as you submit your first entry.

Higher Goals — Enter Contest Here

  1. Select your publication title (or name if you are an Associate Member) 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. Only change this to Authorized Entrant if you have been set up by your publication’s Contestant Manager as an additional Authorized Entrant (this is very rare).

  1. 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.

  1. If you logged in using the default “bnc” password, you’ll 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.

Once logged in, you will repeat the following process for each entry. You may submit up to two entries per Category.

  1. From the “Manage Entries” page. Select “Submit Entry.”
  1. Division & Category — Choose General division and Category of entry. Be sure to read any notes in yellow about the submission requirements.

Click here for a complete list of Higher Goals categories including the judging criteria for each one.

  1. Headline/Title of Entry — In most cases, this would be the title of the article for the article or image you are entering. For non-titled entries, use the title of your publication.
  1. Attachments, Links, and Hard Copies

To upload digital file attachments, click Browse, navigate to the desired file, select Open, and click Upload. Allowed file types are PDF (recommended, especially for text files), JPG, and PNG. If more than one attachment is necessary, repeat these steps. Please keep file sizes to 5mb or less to aid judges in accessing entry content. For larger files (between 5-50mb), you should upload your file(s) to a digital publishing platform (i.e., www.issuu.com), and copy and paste the URL into the URL field.

  • Print members: Most entries require digital submissions. Three categories require you to ship physical entries of two consecutive issues: Photography Use, Publication Design, and Publication Redesign. For the Single Theme Section or Issue category it is optional, but recommended, to ship a hard copy to make the judge’s job easier in evaluating these multi-page entries. For these four entries, you are still required to 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: Entries submitted by online members, using URLs only and no uploaded files, should also include one uploaded JPG or PNG screenshot for use in the awards presentation and on certificates if it is a winner.

Make sure all URLs submitted will be accessible online throughout the contest and judging process. (Provide a static URL, not just the home page that may change when the next issue is published.)

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 submissions are inaccessible.

  1. Comments, Credits, and Other Info — Add brief notes you feel would 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 ONLY those specifically responsible for the entry content (writer(s), designer(s), photographer(s), etc.), not your entire staff. Please add a job title after a comma following the last name. (For example: Smith, designer).

  1. Click “Submit Entry.”
  1. For each entry that requires hard copies to be mailed, print the label (which automatically appears after each entry is submitted), put your entries 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 entries to:
D6 Family Ministry
ATTN: EPA Contest | Danny Conn
114 Bush Road
Nashville, TN 37217
615-618-9160

  1. Go to “Manage Entries” to view, edit, or delete entries and to submit additional entries.
  1. 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 $30 for each Higher Goals awards 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 category, 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

Copyright © All Rights Reserved  |  Evangelical Press Association

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