2025 LORET MILLER RUPPE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE
This award recognizes the great work that RPCV groups are doing and shares ideas and practices that other groups can replicate. Eligible projects and initiatives include those completed within the past two years or ongoing for at least three years. Read about past winners on our website.
The annual Loret Miller Ruppe Award, named after the widely admired 10th director of the Peace Corps, is presented by NPCA to RPCV affiliate groups for outstanding initiatives and projects that successfully:
- increase Americans’ understanding of other cultures and peoples, or
- continue to serve host countries, or
- build cooperation between communities or
- promote service and volunteerism.
Eligibility
- The group’s NPCA affiliation must be current at the time of nomination and the time of the award.
- The activity(ies) for which the group is nominated must be current (i.e., completed within the past two years or ongoing for three or more years).
- The group must not have won the award within the last 5 years (even for a different activity).
- The completed application must be submitted by April 1, 2025.
How to Apply
- Complete and sign the application form (page 2). Required.
- Describe your project in one page (page 3). Required.
- Add relevant documentation that supports the application, if desired. Optional.
Selection Criteria and Process
- Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- How well the group promotes the Third Goal of the Peace Corps
- The scope and impact of the activity on the community served
- How well does the activity(ies) serve as a model or inspiration for other groups
- The NPCA awards committee will evaluate applications and notify up to three finalists by May 9, 2025.
- Finalists will provide one to four engaging photos of participants carrying out the activity by June 18, 2025. (Avoid large group shots unless they are cropped so participants fill the frame and are pictured from the waist up). Please deliver photos that are of higher resolution (ideally at least 300 dpi). Avoid pixelated photos.
- Finalists will create a video (no longer than 7 minutes) showcasing their work and submit it to NPCA by June 18, 2025.
- Please be as concise as possible. When recording your pitch, you should have some key points to help it flow more smoothly.
- The video should have clean audio and video. Avoid recording in direct sunlight to prevent raccoon eyes or hard shadows. Instead, it’s recommended that you record in well-lit interiors or with cloudy, diffused lighting. Film the video in a quiet setting, preferably in a closed-off room with little noise. Using a tripod or having a second person record the interviewee with a steady hand-held is also preferable. If video equipment is not available, iPhones record good video and audio.
- Feel free to edit the video to include any photos or videos you would love to feature.
- Submit a high-resolution (at least 720px) mp4 video to [email protected].
- Examples of winner videos for reference:
- Finalists will present their videos at Peace Corps Connect on July 19, 2025.
- Voting will be open from July 19 to July 20, 2025. NPCA members can vote one time in person or electronically.
- The winner will be announced on July 20, 2025, and receive a $1000 award.
Timeline
Deadline to apply — April 1, 2025
The committee selects and informs finalists — May 9, 2025
Deadline for finalists to submit videos to NPCA — June 18, 2025
Finalists present videos at the Affiliate Network Annual Meeting (AGNAM) during Peace Corps Connect — July 19, 2025
Voting closes, and winner announced — July 20, 2025