This National Rural Health Day, join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and partners in a competition where U.S.-based local governments like yours can demonstrate innovative and inclusive strategies for engaging with rural communities to understand these communities’ environmental public health issues of concern.

Background

Rural communities across America have unique perspectives on pressing environmental and public health issues. Local governments, while ideally positioned to engage with these rural and remote communities, often have expansive responsibilities, limited resources, and geographic barriers that make it difficult to directly engage with these communities to collaboratively identify priority environmental public health issues. Applying innovative and inclusive approaches or strategies could help local governments connect with rural communities to identify environmental and public health issues impacting their citizens, pets, agriculture, education systems, and critical infrastructure.

The Competition

The Small Communities, Big Challenges Competition encourages local governments to demonstrate their innovative strategies, from new or previous work, for engaging rural communities. It also encourages collaboration to understand issues that could benefit from future scientific research.

Local governments and organizations may include:

• City and county health departments
• Local environmental agencies
• 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

Learn more about EPA’s Challenges and Prizes.

Awards

• Ten $25,000 ($250k total) cash prizes will be awarded to Competition winners.
• Five individual Challenge winners will be given a one-year National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) membership.

Important Dates

Start Date:
November 1, 2023

Close Date:
January 31, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET

Have questions?

Join the informational webinar on November 29 here or email [email protected].

Cosponsored by the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Environmental Health Association, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.