Father John Catoir Award
The Father John Catoir Social Media Evangelization Award recognizes the positive impact of a social media campaign to make Jesus known and loved.
Criteria for nomination
The Father John Catoir Social Media Evangelization Award is presented to an individual who leverages the power of social media to help make Jesus known and loved.
Entry criteria
- Must be a current member of the Catholic Media Association.
- Must be work begun or implemented in the preceding year. The evaluation of the program can include results into the current award year.
- Must be work implemented and viewable on a social media platform.
- Note: The work does not include blogs.
- Entries must be submitted through the CMA website.
- You may enter your own work or, with permission, submit the work of your organization.
The criteria for measuring the success of the campaign is two-tiered. First and most important is the ability to achieve the desired outcomes shown by the response and reactions of those receiving the message. Second is the quality of production and style of writing in delivering the message.
Award
The winner receives a certificate and a cash award of $400 to underwrite the cost of technology in developing and/or continuing their evangelization efforts.
Submissions
The nomination period is open from Jan. 6 to March 6, 2026.
Submissions are for campaigns during 2025 and must include:
- The intended goals, objectives and vision for the project.
- The campaign URL, or URLs where the project may be reviewed.
- A description of the effectiveness of the campaign, including proof of engagement (i.e., number of re-tweets, added followers, views, comments, etc.)
Father John Catoir Award Nomination Form (must be logged in)
Recent recipients
- 2025: Nicole Jones of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
- 2024: Staff of the Catholic Courier for "Mass Matters" social media campaign
- 2023: Archdiocese of Detroit for I AM HERE Campaign
- 2022: Archdiocese of Detroit for Unleash the Gospel Campaign
- 2021: Catholic Health Association for Love Thy Neighbor Campaign
- 2020: Diocese of Arlington for #JustOneYes Campaign
- 2019: Archdiocese of Los Angeles for Marian Memorial Campaign
- 2018: Diocese of Syracuse for Year of the Family
Procedure for selection
Once the submission period is closed a panel of three professional communicators with knowledge of social media utilization will judge the entries. The winner is announced and celebrated June 19, 2026, during the Catholic Media Conference Awards Banquet in Atlantic City.