SUBMITTING ENTRIES

Medallion Award entries and winners are not automatically entered in the Paragon Awards competition. Separate entry forms and fees are required. However, entries submitted in this year's Medallion Awards competition may be transferred to the Paragon Awards by selecting the appropriate category. See the submission instructions for details.

If you have not previously submitted entries for the Medallion Awards or Paragon Awards through OpenWater, you will need to create an account. NCMPR's member portal is not connected to the OpenWater platform.

ELIGIBILITY AND ORIGINAL WORK

  • The creative concept for each entry must originate from a community or technical college or a district or state governing organization for two-year colleges. Project execution may involve collaboration with an outside agency; however, entries must be submitted directly by the college, district or state governing organization, not by an outside agency.

  • Entries must consist of new designs or publications that were published, broadcast, displayed or used between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

  • All entries must be original creative work. The use of predesigned templates that can be customized for individual college use is not permitted.

  • Previously submitted work with only minor modifications is not eligible and will be disqualified.

ENTRY LIMITS AND CATEGORIES

  • Entrants may submit multiple entries in each category. However, the same entry may not be submitted in more than one category unless otherwise noted.

  • If an entrant submits multiple entries in the same category, only one of those entries may receive an award, depending on the number of entries in that category.

ENTRY REVIEW AND DISQUALIFICATION

NCMPR reviews all entries and reserves the right to make adjustments in accordance with competition rules, including moving entries to more appropriate categories. If a category receives two or fewer entries, the national office may move those entries to categories where they can best compete.

Entrants are responsible for ensuring their submissions meet all applicable category requirements. Entries that do not meet competition rules may be disqualified. All entry fees are nonrefundable.

ENTRY RIGHTS AND USAGE

NCMPR reserves the right to use submitted entries for exhibition, publication and promotional purposes. Entrants are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions and releases and agree to hold NCMPR harmless from any claims arising from the reproduction or use of submitted materials.

RULES AND APPEALS  

Contestants may submit a written appeal to NCMPR within 30 days of the awards presentation. The NCMPR Board of Directors serves as the final authority on all matters concerning the Paragon Awards.