Azbee Awards Final Deadline Extended to Jan. 25

Posted on | by ASBPE Staff

2026 Happened, So We Extended

We’re giving you a little more breathing room to submit your best work.

2026 Azbee Awards of Excellence

If the start of 2026 has felt more like a whirlwind than a fresh beginning, you aren’t alone. Between seasonal illnesses, internet outages and the general chaos that often marks the start of a new year, we know that many of our members—and even our own national board members—are facing unexpected hurdles and losses. We’ve heard from many of you that you need a bit more time to give your 2025 journalism the recognition it deserves. 

Because we are experiencing some of those same delays on our end, ASBPE’s National Board of Directors has made the easy decision to extend the final deadline for the Azbee Awards of Excellence.

The new final, late entry deadline is Sunday, January 25, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES NOW

Final Deadline & Savings

Take this extra time to finalize your entries with less stress:

  • Extended Final Deadline: Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
  • Member Discounts: Our $100-per-entry member discount (and $120 for freelancers) remains available through this final extended deadline. If you haven’t yet, renew your membership here or join ASBPE before submitting to lock in the discount.

Updated Judging Schedule

To accommodate this extension, we have slightly shifted our judging timelines. If you are volunteering your expertise this year, please note these revised dates:

  • Screening Round (Magazine of the Year & Feature Article): Mon., Jan. 26, 12 p.m. ET – Mon., Feb. 9, 2 p.m. ET.
  • General Judging Round (All other categories): Tue., Jan. 27, 12 a.m. ET – Fri., Feb. 27, 11:59 p.m. ET.
  • Judging Round (MOY + Feature Article): Tue., Feb. 10, 12 p.m. ET – Fri., Feb. 27, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Gain Insight While You Earn

It’s not too late to join our judging panel! Judging is a great way to see how your peers handled the challenges of 2025. You’ll earn $100 in Azbee Bucks (plus an additional $100 if you judge two or more categories) to use toward future entries, membership dues, events or ASBPEvolve 2026.

SIGN UP TO JUDGE NOW

We’re Here to Help

We want this process to be as smooth as possible during a hectic month.

We look forward to seeing your work and hope this extra time helps you start your year on a higher note!