Last month, the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) proudly launched the EPIC (Excellence in Publishing, Information Technology and Communications) Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements throughout our industry. This inaugural awards program recognizes the valuable work invested in accomplishments that help our community remain adaptable in the face of exciting trends and emerging challenges.  

The program commemorates contributions in five key disciplines central to scholarly publishing: tools and products, publications, marketing, media, and visionary initiatives. Each of these disciplines has several subcategories that honor the diverse, creative, inclusive, and equitable approaches to advance that particular area. We invite SSP members, nonmembers, and scholarly publishing adjacent industries to submit their works for consideration. You can find out more about the categories below:

log for SSP Epic awards

Tools and Products

Our community is awash in innovative tools and products posed to address the many significant challenges ahead as well as safeguarding against risks that are likely unknown to many. Entries into this category should celebrate technological innovations across the publishing lifecycle, such as submission and hosting platforms and author and integrity tools.

Publications

This category will highlight exceptional achievements in writing, content, design, consistency, reader experience, and the overall presentation for print and/or journals, books, short-form content, magazines, and reports. Submissions must be focused on sharing original research, review of existing knowledge or share critical analysis on particular topics. All entries are to be written by academics or professionals in their fields and peer reviewed to ensure quality and credibility.

Marketing

Social presence, branding, and content marketing in the scholarly publishing field across single or multiple channels intended to promote scholarly communication effectively are all elements included in this category. These awards highlight strategic, well-coordinated efforts that effectively promote scholarly communication. 

Media

The goal is to celebrate creativity, technical skill, and the effectiveness of these media projects in engaging audiences and enhancing the dissemination of scholarly knowledge. This category recognizes outstanding original promotional or informative audiovisual content, whether standalone or supporting a more significant publication or service in the scholarly publishing field, intended to illustrate a concept. 

Initiatives

The social initiatives category celebrates activities that amplify the SSP Core Values of integrity, community, inclusivity, and adaptability. This category welcomes the nomination of efforts intentionally designed to enrich the scholarly publishing community, support inclusive environments, and provide individuals with skills and knowledge about scholarly publishing or core publishing processes. Examples include programs that support historically excluded groups, promote environmental sustainability, and student publication development. Such initiatives demonstrate inspired, broad-reaching commitment that contribute to improving the overall scholarly publishing community.

This program is open to the global community. SSP invites nonmembers as well as members along with low- and middle-income countries to participate in the EPIC awards program. Please check the ‘Entry Guidelines’ today. We look forward to having an extensive list of entries and are delighted for our judges to view the incredible work happening across our industry.

Apply to be a judge today! Visit ‘Become A Judge’ to find out the time commitment, award categories, and be sure to visit the FAQ to have your questions answered. You do not need technical expertise in a particular area to be a judge nor do you need to be a seasoned professional to be a judge. We invite everyone at all career stages and publishing disciplines to apply. We need your input for this to be a successful judging season!

Winners will be announced at the SSP Annual Meeting during a new EPIC Awards Gala. We look forward to your participation (as a judge or submitter) and hope you will be at the Annual Meeting on May 29, 2025 to celebrate your peers and colleagues across the industry.

Randy Townsend

Randy Townsend

Randy Townsend is a passionate advocate for scholarly publishing, with nearly 20 years of professional experience. At the American Geophysical Union, he led and contributed to initiatives focused on open data, research integrity, peer review, editor engagement, and publishing policy. A committed champion of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), Randy has co-chaired DEIA committees for nonprofit organizations including the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP). He has served on the advisory board of the Association Media & Publishing Network’s Association Council, as a member of the SSP Board of Directors, and chaired the Council of Science Editors’ Webinar Subcommittee. During his term as SSP President, Randy launched a mental health awareness campaign, reflecting his dedication to supporting the well-being of the publishing community. As the founding Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing, Randy is deeply committed to research integrity and to mentoring future leaders devoted to ethical publishing practices. He also serves as an Associate Professor in George Washington University’s top-ranked Master of Professional Studies in Publishing Program, where he continues to inspire and shape the field’s future. After a brief tenure at PLOS, Randy now consults with Origin Editorial, where he leads peer review engagement strategy. Outside of work, he enjoys gardening and grilling — often while still talking shop.

Damita Snow

Damita Snow

Damita Snow, CAE, ENV SP is Director, Accessibility & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Publications & Strategy at the American Society of Civil Engineers. She worked on all three Toolkits for Equity, was co-lead of the Antiracism Toolkit for Organizations, is a member of the 2023 Workforce Equity Survey committee and is an immediate past co-chair of the SSP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee. Snow is also an SSP Board member, ASAE Black Association Executives Board member and former Advisory Board member of AMP Network Associations Council.

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