Each year NoVAGO honors some of the best caches that were placed in Northern Virginia. Cache nominations and awards are a chance for you to recognize the efforts of fellow NoVAGO cachers who have placed hides that you have enjoyed. Help recognize the great caches and the people who placed them by nominating your favorites for the 2023 NoVAGO Cache Awards!
Categories have changed since last year. It is strongly recommended that you review the award categories BEFORE heading to the nomination form. Full description of award categories can be found at Award Categories – Updates for 2024
The link below will take you to the nomination form. As you will see on the form, you will be finding your favorite caches in a drop down list selected by the awards committee, with the option to search with key words. The format of this form works best on a computer. [PERIOD FOR NOMINATIONS IS CLOSED]
Nominations will be accepted until February 29th.
Any questions about the 2023 awards should be sent to awards@novago.org.
Categories are subject to change and are as follows:
- [NEW] Hider of the Year
- Best Traditional
- Best Mystery/Puzzle Cache
- Best Multicache
- Best Letterbox Hybrid Cache
- Best Other Cache (Earthcache or Wherigo)
- Best Event/CITO Host
- Best Adventure Lab Series
- Best Theme/Series
- Cache of the Year
- [NEW]Best Container
- [NEW]Most Creative Cache Page
- Most Outstanding Location/Scenery
- Best Historical/Educational Cache
- Most Physically Challenging
- Best Kids Cache
- Rookie/Newcomer of the Year*
- [NEW]Youth Rookie/Newcomer of the Year*
- Volunteer of the Year
- Cacher of the Year
- [NEW] Youth Cacher of the Year
Full description of award categories can be found at Award Categories – Updates for 2024
Printable worksheet to plan your nominations before heading to the nomination form: MyCacheNominations.pdf
Cache Eligibility:
1. Cache must have been published between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, and still active as of early 2024.
2. You may make up to three (3) nominations in each category. You do not need to make nominations in all categories.
3. Caches must be within Northern Virginia, (NoVa will be defined as Alexandria (city), Arlington (county), Clarke (county), Fairfax (county), Fairfax (city), Falls Church (city), Fauquier (county), Frederick (county), Loudoun (county), Manassas (city), Manassas Park (city), Prince William (county), Stafford (county), Warren (county), Winchester (city))
4. We will compile the nomination submissions and you will be voting on the top nominees in each category. So the more nominations we get, the easier it will be to discern the best of the best. You do not need to have found a cache to nominate it.
*Both Rookie/Newcomer of the Year and Youth Rookie/Newcomer of the Year must have found their first cache no earlier than July 1, 2022, with a majority of their finds/hides during 2023.
Thank you to the volunteers on the NoVAGO Cache Awards Committee for their time and effort in organizing this annual event.