The 2025 Access to Justice Prize, hosted by the Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice, is a national competition designed to foster innovative solutions that address the access to justice crisis in rural America. This initiative supports creative strategies to expand legal access, accelerate innovation, and uphold the integrity of civil and criminal legal systems for underserved rural populations. Community-based and nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and local, state, tribal, and territorial governments—including courts, public defenders, and prosecutors—are encouraged to participate.

The 2025 competition focuses on solutions to barriers that rural communities face, such as limited legal resources, lack of proximity to courts, insufficient broadband access, and inequities in legal representation. Proposals should be innovative and tailored to the unique challenges of rural jurisdictions. Potential solutions might involve improving access to legal assistance, simplifying legal processes, expanding technological resources, and fostering partnerships across sectors. Emphasis is placed on initiatives that address systemic inequities and promote long-term impact.

The competition includes two phases. In Phase 1, applications open on January 7, 2025, and close on March 31, 2025. Up to five finalists will be selected, each receiving $5,000 during a six-month Refinement Phase, running from May 1 to October 31, 2025, to further develop their ideas. Final submissions are due by October 31, 2025, and a Grand Prize winner will be announced in December 2025 during the Access to Justice Prize Showcase. The winner will receive $50,000, bringing the total cash prize pool to $75,000.

Eligibility is limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher learning, and units of local, state, tribal, or territorial government. Federal employees and entities are excluded. Proposals must demonstrate clear benefits for rural communities, defined broadly using census, metropolitan, or rural commuting area data. Submissions should address specific barriers while showcasing innovative, implementable, and sustainable solutions.

Applications must include a 10-page proposal that details the idea, an implementation timeline, strategies to overcome barriers, and metrics for measuring success. Applicants are encouraged to provide an engagement plan to involve stakeholders and rural community members. Optional visual aids of up to three pages can be included to illustrate the proposal. Submissions are judged based on innovation, feasibility, clear goals, and stakeholder engagement, with equal weight given to each criterion.

Finalists will refine their proposals during the Refinement Phase using first-round funding. At the showcase, they will present their final submissions to a judging panel of experts. The final round will emphasize impact, sustainability, stakeholder support, and progress made during the development phase.

Interested participants must create an account on Challenge.Gov to submit their applications. The deadline for Phase 1 submissions is March 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT. Comprehensive guidance, including detailed rules and FAQs, is available through the Challenge.Gov platform. The Access to Justice Prize represents an opportunity for organizations to address critical justice challenges in rural areas with innovative and community-focused solutions.