Nominate a deserving conservation professional, team, or project for the 2026 ACAP Ag Conservation Con awards and browse the full list of categories, criteria, and submission requirements to get started.
Submit an award nomination for the 2026 ACAP Ag Conservation Con, scheduled for September 15-17 in Indiana County. All award nominations will be considered by a panel except for the Best ACAP Photo, which will be judged at the conference by the votes of attendees. Consideration for the other categories will be based on the information included in the nomination and may also include field verification. Nominations may optionally include a letter of support from a farmer, colleague, and/or other partner in the agricultural conservation sector. You may nominate yourself or someone else by the deadline: end of day Monday, July 13, 2026. Awards will be distributed at the 2026 ACAP Ag Conservation Con at the banquet on Wednesday, September 16.
Terms and conditions: Individuals, districts, partnerships, and projects are not eligible to receive the same award in back-to-back years. Individuals, districts, partnerships, and projects are eligible to receive different awards in back-to-back years and/or multiple awards in different categories in the same year.
Award Opportunities
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year has demonstrated exceptional work implementing and promoting ACAP in 2025-2026. This individual has distinguished themselves through initiative, learning, adaptability, and relationship building to address agricultural resource concerns using ACAP in their first year. This individual is effective at communicating with partners and building trust in their local community.
Criteria: Must have worked part-time or full-time on ACAP projects; must have started their job at a conservation district (or other ACAP delegated entity) after January 1, 2025.
Submission info required: Name, email address, place of employment, and employment start date (month and year) of nominee. Prompt: Describe how the nominee has demonstrated initiative, learning, adaptability, and relationship building within their first year, including and how this person has communicated with partners and built trust in their local community. Please include specific examples. Describe any additional reasons this person should be considered for this award (700 words or less).
ACAP MVP Award
The ACAP MVP Award will be awarded to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional promotion and implementation of ACAP throughout 2025-2026. This person has distinguished themselves through hard work and dedication towards addressing agricultural resource concerns, utilizing ACAP funding. The nominee is effective at communicating with partners and building trust within their local communities. An ACAP MVP has demonstrated leadership, mentorship, or program influence beyond a single project or farm.
Criteria: The individual must have worked part-time or full-time with the ACAP program and on ACAP-funded projects.
Submission info required: Name, email address, and place of employment of nominee. Prompt: Describe how the nominee has demonstrated leadership, mentorship, or program influence through the implementation of ACAP, and how this person has communicated with partners and built trust in their local community. Please include specific examples. Describe any additional reasons why this person should be considered for this award (700 words or less).
ACAP County Team Award
The ACAP County Team Award honors the conservation district (or other ACAP delegated entity) that has demonstrated outstanding teamwork within the ACAP process. This squad promotes the spirit of teamwork through collaboration and cooperation, leading to ACAP project success. This group of staff has consistently offered support and assistance to their coworkers and ACAP applicants.
Criteria: The team members must be employed by the same conservation district. Each team member listed must have directly worked on, or otherwise supported, the ACAP program or projects. Individuals who are not directly employed by the district (or delegated entity) are not eligible to be included in this nomination.
Submission info required: Nominees’ names, email addresses, and place of employment. Prompt: Describe how the nominated team has demonstrated outstanding collaboration and teamwork as they have worked together towards addressing agricultural resource concerns using ACAP. Please include specific examples. Describe any additional reasons why this team should be considered for this award (700 words or less).
ACAP Partnership Award
The ACAP Partnership Award will be presented to a qualified partnership, between two or more separate organizations, including at least one conservation district (or delegated ACAP entity), that has demonstrated successful teamwork and collaboration on ACAP projects. This cadre is a force to be reckoned with and will have excelled at implementing ACAP projects together in a way that could not have been achieved independently.
Criteria: The primary nominee for this award must be the conservation district (or ACAP delegated entity), and the secondary awardees will be the partnering organization(s) or entity(ies). Nominations must include at least one other entity that has partnered at the local level on implementation of ACAP. Partners may include, but are not limited to, public or private sector entities, including local offices of county, state, or national agencies or organizations, funders, contractors, engineers, non-profit organizations, etc. Note: the State Conservation Commission (SCC) and The Center for Ag Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT) are NOT eligible to be considered partners for this nomination.
Submission info required: Name of county conservation district or ACAP delegated entity including the name and email address of a designated contact, name(s) of partner organizations, name and email address of one designated contact at each of the nominated partner organizations. Prompt: Describe how the nominated partnership has worked together towards addressing agricultural resource concerns using ACAP. Please include specific examples of how the partnership created impact beyond what would have been achieved working independently. Describe any additional reasons why this team should be considered for this award (700 words or less).
Innovative ACAP Project Award
Sometimes success depends on unconventional or pioneering thinking. The Innovative ACAP Project Award will be bestowed upon a project that showcases inspired and innovative thinking to address resource concerns while utilizing ACAP funds for the installation of Best Management Practices. Innovative thinking can include, but is not limited to, funding strategies, BMP selection and implementation, and creative design/engineering.
Criteria: Project must have been paid for in whole or in part using ACAP funding. Project must have been completed after Jan. 1, 2025, or anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026. Completed projects will be given greater weight in consideration.
Submission info required: Name and county of nominated farm of the project, name of farmer/landowner, names of partner entities who worked on the project, approximate percentage of project that was funded by ACAP, and completion date OR anticipated completion date. Prompt: Describe the project and why you feel it was innovative in addressing resource concerns with Ag BMPs. Please include specific examples. Describe any additional reasons why this team should be considered for this award (700 words or less). Ensure that this project's records are up to date in the ACAP system.
Best ACAP Project Photo Award
Tap into your creativity to showcase your best ACAP project photo to be judged by your peers at the ACAP Ag Conservation Con. Photos will be printed and mounted on foam core, ready to bring back to your office for display.
Criteria: Please submit high-resolution digital images suitable for printing. The photos will be displayed at the conference for judging. The photos must have been taken in 2025 or 2026.
Submission info required: Name, email address, and place of employment of photographer, county, and farm that the photo was taken in.
