2026 Excellence in Interpretation Awards

The annual Excellence in Interpretation Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by National Park Service employees. These awards were named the Freeman Tilden Awards for Excellence in Interpretation from 1981 to 2023.

Excellence in Interpretation - Individual (formerly the Freeman Tilden Awards)

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by National Park Service employees (individual).

Chief of Interpretation Ashley Waymouth NPS Photo / Ashley Waymouth

Ashley Waymouth

Chief of Interpretation, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

Ashley Waymouth restructured the interpretation program at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve into a high-capacity, visitor-centered operation. The program delivered regular, predictable opportunities for meaningful visitor engagement at key locations.

Ashley’s strategic, scalable approach was innovative and highly participatory. It included daily and flexible pop-up programming as well as digital interaction through social media. It expanded access, boosted visitor involvement, and elevated the overall quality and consistency of ranger-led programs.

From 2024 to 2025, the park increased the number of programs offered from 228 to 1,603. The number of visitors participating in these programs rose from 4,497 to 15,531. This growth did not just come from more park visitation. It also came from Ashley’s reimagined interpretation strategy, which was responsive to visitor needs and aligned with the evolving role of interpretation in the National Park Service.

Excellence in Interpretation - Team (formerly the Freeman Tilden Awards)

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by National Park Service employees (team).

Project partners and National Park Service staff at the visitor center exhibit grand opening on September 5, 2025. NPS Photo

Kathleen Cullen, Nicole Braem, Letty Hughes, Ken Adkisson, Jeanette Koelsch

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Partner Co-Creation Exhibit Project, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve partnered with Sitnasuak Native Corporation, the National Park Foundation, Tribal members, and regional Tribal organizations to launch a landmark project. The project’s goal was to co-create, design, and install the preserve’s first visitor center exhibits in Nome, Alaska. The preserve and the corporation received a donation from the Helmsley Charitable Trust through the National Park Foundation to accomplish this goal.

Tribal representatives from Shishmaref, Wales, and Deering worked with the preserve to co-create the exhibits. These exhibits reflected cultural continuity, community identity, and the unique purposes and uses of the preserve. The exhibits integrated natural and cultural resource themes, place-based storytelling, student artwork, Inupiaq language interactives, and immersive sensory elements. They highlighted the unique character of the preserve.

This project introduced a transformative, community-centered approach to interpretation by embracing a locally led model of exhibit development. The resulting experience was rooted in community knowledge, cultural continuity, and shared stewardship. It answered longstanding requests for accurate, local representation of Inupiat history, values, and ways of life.

Early feedback from all audiences confirmed the intended impact: Community members felt represented. Visitors reported deeper connection and understanding. Educators scheduled trips so students could learn about local history, culture, and the significance of the preserve.

The new exhibits modeled excellence in interpretation through deep Tribal and community participation and multiple partnership agreements. Project partners included the foundation, the corporation, the regional Tribal organizations, Kawerak, Inc., and Maniilaq Association.

Annual Interpretation Awards

Learn more about the annual Excellence in Interpretation Awards.

Where this belongs

• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
• Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve

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