Challenge Awards

Challenge Awards

Overview: The CSAC Challenge Awards celebrate the innovative and creative spirit of California's 58 counties. These annual awards recognize county innovations and creative approaches to providing programs and services to citizens in cost-saving and effective ways.

Geographic Scope: California counties only

Key Information:

Eligibility Requirements

• Only programs developed, managed, or funded by a county department or agency are eligible
• A county must submit entries (counties can submit multiple entries)
• Multi-county programs are eligible
• Court-related programs must be coordinated or funded by a county
• An entry can only be submitted in one category
• Programs that have previously received a Challenge Award cannot be entered again
• Programs should have been in operation for at least one year

Issue Areas

• Administration of Justice & Public Safety – Local law enforcement, public safety programs, adult and juvenile detention, probation
• Agriculture, Environment & Natural Resources – Agriculture, environment, air quality, water, flood control, energy, parks and recreation, public lands, forestry, mining, endangered species, solid waste, hazardous waste
• Government Finance, Administration & Technology – Internal operations, employee training and wellness, workers' compensation, public records, Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology, economic development, libraries, elections, food safety
• Health & Human Services – Health care, mental health, homelessness, foster care, child welfare services, adult protective services, IHSS, general assistance, aging, CalWORKs, First 5 programs, county hospitals/medical facilities, indigent services, veterans
• Housing, Land Use & Infrastructure – Housing, land use, growth, planning, transportation, infrastructure, tribal gaming issues

Population Categories

• Rural – Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yuba
• Suburban – Butte, Imperial, Kern, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Yolo
• Urban – Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Ventura

Selection Criteria

A panel of county and private sector officials will evaluate entries based on:
• Clear statement of challenge and solution in Executive Summary
• Innovation, resourcefulness, vision, and uniqueness
• Enhanced community and organizational impact with measurable results
• Program replicability and ease of implementation
• Conformance to application instructions

Contact: portal@counties.org

Address: 1100 K St., Ste. 101, Sacramento, CA 95814