Small Communities, Big Challenges: Rural Environmental Public Health Needs Prize Competition

SCBCCompetition@epa.gov

Small Communities, Big Challenges is a prize competition designed to assist local governments in identifying innovative and effective ways to engage rural communities around environmental health issues. EPA and partners will use the solutions from the competition to learn of unique and innovative strategies for engaging with rural communities and of the environmental public health issues that rural communities are faced with. Participating governments will demonstrate their innovative strategies for engaging rural communities and present collaboratively identified findings from these engagements through a brief engagement strategy report and a short video.

Applications should address:

• Community engagement
• A community engagement strategy report
• Creativity and innovation
• A communication product
• Impacts and solutions

Applicants must be individuals or groups employed by local governments, including, but not limited to:

• City and county health departments
• Local environmental agencies
• Local departments of fish and wildlife
• Local utility providers
• Local waste management officials
• Local departments of housing
• Water and sewer district boards
• Tribal and territorial government leaders
• City/municipality governments
  • Mayors
  • Village and city managers
  • Commissioners
  • City planners
  • City administrators
  • County executives

Up to 10 selected winners will each receive $25,000. Five individual Challenge winners will be given a one-year National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) membership.

Links to additional guidance and resources are available on the program website.

Email completed applications to SCBCCompetition@epa.gov with the subject line SCBC Competition Submission – Individual Name and affiliated organization.