NEED encourages all member LGUs to submit at least one nomination to each award program annually. Explore the ECOP Awards homepage at https://awards.extension.org/
2025 ECOP Excellence in Extension Award (Individual)
“The Individual Excellence in Extension Awards are given to Extension professionals who strive in their careers through their local, state, regional, or national responsibilities to achieve the benchmarks reflective of excellence in Extension educational programming. These include, but are not limited to, demonstration of high impact of programs; visionary leadership and anticipation of emerging issues for clientele and the system; commitment to diversity; and integration of programs in partnership with university colleagues and outside clientele. Awardees should be recognized as a leader at their university, in the communities served, and in their respective field of expertise. They should demonstrate the ability to garner a continual flow of resources for sustainable Extension programs and use innovative teaching methods.”
- Learn about the award program. Nominations are funneled through each ECOP region into the national competition. National and regional winners will be announced in November 2025
- Download the Northeast Region prep form: Northeast Region
NEED conducts pre-screening and review for the ECOP Individual Excellence in Extension Award. Draft nominations are due to NEED Executive Director, Ali Dunigan ([email protected]), by 11:59 PM ET March 1st. Nominations not submitted for pre-screening and review will not be eligible for the ECOP award.
The DEADLINE to submit online to ECOP and finalize this nomination is 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, May 1, 2025 at https://registry.extension.org/250294684373969
2024 ECOP Excellence in Extension Award (Team)
“The National Excellence in Extension Team Award recognizes a team of 3 or more people, comprised of at least 1 state, county, or regional Extension professional. Formed by 2 or more Land-grant Universities, the team works to advance Extension’s research, technical assistance, and outreach education mission and demonstrate accomplishments and evidence of impact within the last 3 years. Excellence is measured by the weighted criteria explained below and how local delivery of Cooperative Extension programming has improved. Innovative partnerships across 1862, 1890, and 1994 Land-grant Universities, and their missions – Extension, research, and teaching, and Cooperative Extension’s programmatic disciplines is encouraged. A team’s approach, impacts, and successes to collaboration, sharing, partnership, and mobilizing multi-institutional response across states, territories, or multiple jurisdictions, are all key determinates of excellence.”
This award recognizes excellence of an Extension team in performing the work of Extension research, technical assistance, and outreach education. One award will be made to a team comprising any combination of Extension state, county, and regional staff, as well as non-Extension team members.” Final nominations were due to Sandy Ruble, [email protected] by 5:00 PM PT May 1, 2024.
- Learn about the award program.
- View/Download the nomination prep form here.
The DEADLINE to finalize and submit online at https://registry.extension.org/250293915621052 is 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, May 1, 2025.
Best Practices
In support of the region submitting strong applications NEED maintains a set of “best practices” available for download. (Updated February 2022)
Learn more about what ECOP expects from nominations by watching the ECOP Next Generation Learning for Leaders: National Extension Awards, Systems Thinking and Winning Words