2025 Access to Justice Prize: Closing the Rural Justice Gap

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Access to Justice is excited to announce the opening of submissions for the 2025 Access to Justice Prize. The Prize is a year-long, nationwide competition designed to spark innovative solutions to address the justice gap and promote equal access to justice for all. The theme for the 2025 Prize is “Closing the Rural Justice Gap,” and the Office for Access to Justice is seeking proposals that address access to justice challenges in rural communities.

In conversations with access to justice leaders around the country, the Office for Access to Justice team has seen that solutions to close the justice gap must begin with the communities themselves. Leaders in the field have the best visibility into specific barriers and gaps, the strongest connections to impacted communities, and the clearest understanding of available resources and tools.

This is why the Access to Justice Prize competition aims to encourage and support innovative, community-driven solutions developed by those on the front lines of the access to justice crisis. The competition is open to nonprofit and community-based organizations, academic institutions, and local, state, tribal, and territorial government entities, including courts, public defender offices, and prosecutorial and law enforcement agencies. Submissions may broadly include any idea that would seek to improve legal systems, processes, interactions, or outcomes, or to better solve civil or criminal justice problems within rural areas or for rural communities.

The Prize competition opened for submissions on Challenge.gov beginning January 7, 2025, and the submission period will close on March 31, 2025. This summer, up to five finalists will be selected and each receive a $5,000 prize. After further refining their ideas, the finalists will present their ideas at an Access to Justice Showcase next winter, where the Grand Prize Winner will receive a $50,000 prize.

Your organization is invited to submit your idea for closing the rural justice gap. Please visit the Access to Justice Prize website to learn more, and feel free to email JusticePrize@usdoj.gov with any questions.dditional details and directions on how to apply.