Frequently Asked Questions

ENTRIES

Will SSP help me with promoting the news if my organization wins an award?
Yes. SSP will provide a press release template and other media assets that you can use to spread the word among your media contacts and the community. SSP also issues its own press release listing all the winners.

Will I receive feedback on my entry following the competition?
No. Our judges are volunteers and we want to be respectful of their time. They are only asked to score the entries for the competition in order to streamline the judging process. 

Is there an appeals process if I don’t win?
There is no appeals process. This is an awards competition and decisions agreed to by the EPIC Awards judges are final. Entrants are not allowed to lobby for entry.

JUDGING

I am only interested in judging certain categories, how do I specify that?
Please select the categories you are interested in judging; we will try our best to align your expertise with category assignments. 

Someone from my organizaton is already judging, can I participate too?
Yes! Multiple people from the same organization are eligible to judge. They will likely be assigned to different categories. 

Can I judge a category that my organization has entered?
No, to eliminate conflict of interest, individuals whose organization has entered a specific category are not eligible as judges for that category.  

Can I judge multiple categories?
Yes, select all categories you are interested in judging on the application form. 

What is the expected time commitment of a judge?
Judge and entry matching are determined based on how many entries are received and how many judges sign up. As this is the first year for the award, our goal is to limit assignments to at most 10 entries per judge. It is anticipated each entry will take 10-15 minutes to review and score. These numbers are subject to change based on entries submitted and confirmed judges.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need to be a judge? 
We invite diverse perspectives and expertise to thoughtfully examine and evaluate entries to ensure the integrity of the program. Ideally judges should have at least 1-3 years of experience within the categories they are volunteering to judge.