2026 Fentanyl Free America Awards -- Excellence in Protection Awards

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On December 3, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched Fentanyl Free America, a national enforcement and public awareness campaign focused on reducing the supply and demand for illicit fentanyl. This new initiative highlights the DEA’s continued effort to protect communities from illicit fentanyl, which was responsible for nearly 50,000 deaths last year, according to the CDC. DEA’s Fentanyl Free America campaign expands on the success of campaigns like One Pill Can Kill and strengthens the DEA’s commitment to prevention, education, and outreach.

The Excellence in Protection Awards recognize an outstanding law enforcement organization and an outstanding law enforcement professional who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership, and measurable impact in protecting communities from the deadly effects of illicit fentanyl. Presented annually at the Fentanyl Free America Summit, these awards honor those advancing the Protect Pillar of the Fentanyl Free America campaign. These protection awards honor individuals and organizations who have gone above and beyond the normal expectations of duty to enforce our nation’s drug laws, disrupt fentanyl trafficking, dismantle distribution networks, prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals, and safeguard lives.

The Awards

Two (2) 2026 Fentanyl Free America Awards, representing the Protect pillar of the campaign, will be presented during DEA’s inaugural Fentanyl Free America Summit on July 13, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. Each awardee (1 individual and 1 organization) will receive a complimentary conference registration and travel for one person to the Fentanyl Free America Summit and CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute in July in Orlando. Travel will be self-funded by the individual and reimbursed through DEA’s invitational travel process. Awardees will be presented with a plaque recognizing their efforts to protect their communities from the devastating impacts of fentanyl at an on-site awards ceremony in Orlando on July 13, 2026. Submissions for the Protect Award will be posted to DEA’s Fentanyl Free America webpage (www.dea.gov/fentanylfree) to share best practices with individuals and organizations who are committed to creating a Fentanyl Free America.