Awards season has wrapped. The red carpets have been rolled away, the acceptance speeches are still echoing across social media, and somewhere, a very relieved PR team is exhaling. Hollywood had its moment. Music had its moment. And people behind the scenes everywhere watched from the sidelines and thought… why not us?
The peer-reviewed research that informs policy, the clinical findings that change treatment protocols, or the technology and infrastructure that keeps it moving in a quickly evolving digital world… The scholarly work that quietly, persistently moves the world forward and the people building the platforms, publishing the journals, and stewarding access to information deserve a special night too.
In scholarly publishing, that night is SSP’s Excellence in Publishing, Information Technology, and Communications (EPIC) Awards. There’s always been award-worthy work in scholarly publishing, with remarkable ideas fueling innovation that drives real, actual change in the world. Now, there’s a way to celebrate that, in a room full of peers, with good food, laughter, and a proper occasion to say congratulations out loud.
What Are the EPIC Awards?
The EPIC Awards honor outstanding work across five categories: Tools and Products, Publications, Marketing, Media, and Initiatives. If you’ve built something that moved the needle, told a story that mattered, or launched a campaign that exceeded your expectations, this is where that gets recognized. It’s a chance to celebrate excellent work in our community in a way the industry has never quite made space for: loudly, visibly, in cocktail attire, and, yes, with a pink carpet.
Nearly 100 submissions came in for the awards, which should tell you something about how hungry this community was for exactly this kind of recognition. The quality was high. The range was wide, from student journals to data visualization to marketing campaigns that actually broke through the noise.
The Vibes Report
Here’s the thing about scholarly publishing: we tend to be modest. We celebrate the work by doing more work. We acknowledge excellence with a LinkedIn post and move on. The EPIC Awards Celebration is, by deliberate design, the opposite of that.
People showed up to the inaugural event in cocktail attire. They walked the pink carpet. And then, in a room full of peers who genuinely understood the effort behind every nomination, the cheering started. One attendee described it simply as “the glitz and glamor!” Another captured what truly made the night special: “the friendship, the cheering, the fun, the genuine enthusiasm.” Not the production value. The people.
That’s the part that’s hard to replicate at a standard conference reception. When someone’s name was called, the room responded as one. As one attendee put it: “I felt like a special queen at this event, as did every other person there.” In a community where recognition is often quiet and incremental, that energy landed differently. The vibes, as one very accurate observer noted, were immaculate.
Will you join us this year?
Hosted by Jude Perera (Wiley) and Kevin Mitchell (Modio Information Group), the 2026 EPIC Awards Celebration on May 28 at the Gaylord Pacific Convention Center in Chula Vista, California, promises to be an unforgettable evening as we recognize those driving the scholarly publishing industry forward. Many who attended last year became converts: people who were unsure about walking on a carpet or dressing up, but who walked away wondering why it had taken so long for this to exist. Don’t miss the chance to celebrate excellence and connect with our community’s trailblazers.
Buy your ticket—and bring your colleagues—for an awards show you won’t forget! Better yet, rally your organization to sponsor a table! It’s a meaningful way to show support for your team, thank your clients, and join the celebration of innovation and excellence in our field. This is more than a ceremony—it’s a moment of recognition, appreciation, and community.
Jude Perera: “I am thrilled to be hosting the EPIC Awards and honored to be celebrating the fabulous people and ideas that keep this community innovative. If I do my job properly, no one will be watching the clock, and a few people may wish they had fastened their seatbelts.”
Kevin Mitchell: “The EPIC Awards provide an incredible opportunity to recognize the tremendous innovation and creativity in our community. I can’t wait to help celebrate this year’s honorees!”
Dress to impress, bring your team, and prepare to cheer—because when it’s your moment to shine, you’ll want to really feel it. Tickets are available now—get yours before May 15!
News item written by SSP member Samantha Green. Samantha is the Director of Product Marketing at Silverchair.
