CSC, USOPC announce new awards program
Annual awards will honor CSC members who best promote Team USA athletes
College Sports Communicators and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced a new awards program to honor CSC members who best promote their institution’s or conference’s student-athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games and elite international competitions.
The new Team USA Collegiate Storytelling Awards will celebrate the creativity, quality and impact of collegiate communicators telling the stories of Team USA athletes on the international stage.
"College sports communicators play a vital role in telling the stories of student-athletes who go on to represent Team USA on the world's biggest stage,” said CSC Executive Director Jason Yaman. “This partnership with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee reinforces our shared commitment to celebrating excellence in collegiate communications while shining an even brighter spotlight on Olympic and Paralympic sports. We look forward to working together to recognize outstanding storytellers and create new opportunities that benefit our members and the student-athletes they serve."
“College athletics are a critical part of the Team USA athlete journey, and the communicators at schools and conferences are helping to bring the connection and the pride of representing both a school and Team USA to life for fans across the country,” said Kate Hartman, chief external affairs officer for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “We are excited to recognize the creativity and dedication behind that work on campuses across the country and to celebrate the people helping share the stories of these amazing Team USA athletes.”
In years with Summer or Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games, CSC and the USOPC will present three awards for college coverage of athletes at the Games:
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Best U.S. Olympic Games coverage by an individual
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Best U.S. Olympic Games coverage by a department
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Best U.S. Paralympic Games coverage by an individual or department
In non-Olympic/Paralympic Games years, the awards will honor outstanding collegiate coverage of Team USA athletes competing in world cup/world championship competitions, including for:
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Best Team USA coverage at an Olympic world cup/world championship by an individual or department
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Best Team USA coverage at a Paralympic world cup/world championship by an individual or department
Nominations will be judged on the following criteria: creativity of coverage, quality of material, success factor (analytics, where applicable) and wow factor.
Winners in years with Olympic & Paralympic Games, will be invited to attend the Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards at the USOPC’s expense. This year’s ceremony will be held Dec. 8 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Each year’s honorees also will be honored at the following summer’s CSC Unite convention, beginning with the 2027 event in Orlando in June.
2026 Team USA Collegiate Storytelling Awards
To nominate for 2026 awards featuring coverage of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortino, click the submit nomination button.
Submit nomination
Key dates for the 2026 awards are as follows:
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Submission deadline: October 9, 2026
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Announcement date: TBD
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Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards: December 8, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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CSC Unite Convention: June 13-16, 2026, in Orlando, Florida
About CSC
College Sports Communicators is the premier membership association for all strategic, creative and digital professionals working in intercollegiate athletics across all levels for colleges, universities and conferences across the United States and Canada. CSC provides year-round leadership, community, professional development/education, recognition and advocacy for its 4,900-plus members. Founded in 1957 as the College Sports Information Directors of America, the organization rebranded in 2022 to position itself as a more inclusive organization for communicators in all types of roles and to lead an industry change where strategic and creative professionals are more aligned. CSC’s signature work includes the annual CSC Unite convention each June and the administration of the prestigious Academic All-America® program and Hall of Fame. Since 1952, nearly 46,000 of the world’s most elite student-athletes have been recognized with Academic All-America status in all sports.
About the USOPC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit TeamUSA.com. For more information on Team USA athlete benefits and resources, visit USOPC.org.