diff --git a/_config.yml b/_config.yml
index 8a563385e8863a69fb691b6114ca8de89c0f2a18..b82d453a5bc1f4eeb84b5403b68f85597a9630fe 100644
--- a/_config.yml
+++ b/_config.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ carpentry: "swc"
 title: "Lesson Title"
 
 # Contact email address.
-contact: "mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org"
+email: "mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org"
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------
 # Constant URL addresses across lessons
diff --git a/_includes/lesson_footer.html b/_includes/lesson_footer.html
index fa5d888701737e2e3d34f6f0a28bcb1f6870307c..f36bc09c368d0b741ffdb0127156e556313233a1 100644
--- a/_includes/lesson_footer.html
+++ b/_includes/lesson_footer.html
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 	/
 	<a href="{{ site.github.repository_url }}/blob/gh-pages/CITATION">Cite</a>
 	/
-	<a href="{{ site.contact }}">Contact</a>
+	<a href="{{ site.email }}">Contact</a>
       </h4>
     </div>
   </div>
diff --git a/_includes/links.md b/_includes/links.md
index a754ce6d1e0945d37b1cc2debe1d4d726295f787..71ee7ee671a93f894865ecbd7552129cc5fc63e0 100644
--- a/_includes/links.md
+++ b/_includes/links.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [cc-by-human]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 [cc-by-legal]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
 [concept-maps]: http://carpentries.github.io/instructor-training/05-memory/
-[contact]: mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org
+[email]: mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org
 [contrib-covenant]: http://contributor-covenant.org/
 [contributing]: {{ site.github.repository_url }}/blob/gh-pages/CONTRIBUTING.md
 [cran-checkpoint]: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/checkpoint/index.html
diff --git a/_layouts/workshop.html b/_layouts/workshop.html
index 2f4cd3040f92ddf477a539171b23fe83a06734d1..ccd8747ee6027197b799c3dbfb24327f2f5d14e6 100644
--- a/_layouts/workshop.html
+++ b/_layouts/workshop.html
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     <meta name="eventbrite" content="{{page.eventbrite}}" />
     <meta name="instructor" content="{{page.instructor|join:'|'}}" />
     <meta name="helper" content="{{page.helper|join:'|'}}" />
-    <meta name="contact" content="{{page.contact}}" />
+    <meta name="contact" content="{{page.email}}" />
     {% if page.redirect %}
     <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url={{page.redirect}}" />
     {% endif %}
diff --git a/bin/lesson_check.py b/bin/lesson_check.py
index 8244222b5bd30e80516666d1dde76756c9c9300a..28b691ba89de581530869ae06c619b555e056951 100755
--- a/bin/lesson_check.py
+++ b/bin/lesson_check.py
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ def check_config(reporter, source_dir):
     reporter.check_field(config_file, 'configuration', config, 'kind', 'lesson')
     reporter.check_field(config_file, 'configuration', config, 'carpentry', ('swc', 'dc', 'lc'))
     reporter.check_field(config_file, 'configuration', config, 'title')
-    reporter.check_field(config_file, 'configuration', config, 'contact')
+    reporter.check_field(config_file, 'configuration', config, 'email')
 
     reporter.check({'values': {'root': '..'}} in config.get('defaults', []),
                    'configuration',
diff --git a/bin/lesson_initialize.py b/bin/lesson_initialize.py
index 6e91826e5c62f5e725af23a6d3a1491dc93f84f3..d239e2d3db7365b1ac7293fe69f18a6476e352ba 100755
--- a/bin/lesson_initialize.py
+++ b/bin/lesson_initialize.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ This is a good way to introduce yourself
 and to meet some of our community members.
 
 1.  If you do not have a [GitHub][github] account,
-    you can [send us comments by email][contact].
+    you can [send us comments by email][email].
     However,
     we will be able to respond more quickly if you use one of the other methods described below.
 
@@ -151,9 +151,9 @@ and have final say over what gets merged into the lesson.
 General discussion of [Software Carpentry][swc-site] and [Data Carpentry][dc-site]
 happens on the [discussion mailing list][discuss-list],
 which everyone is welcome to join.
-You can also [reach us by email][contact].
+You can also [reach us by email][email].
 
-[contact]: mailto:admin@software-carpentry.org
+[email]: mailto:admin@software-carpentry.org
 [dc-issues]: https://github.com/issues?q=user%3Adatacarpentry
 [dc-lessons]: http://datacarpentry.org/lessons/
 [dc-site]: http://datacarpentry.org/
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ title: "Lesson Title"
 # Contact.  This *must* include the protocol: if it's an email
 # address, it must look like "mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org",
 # or if it's a URL, "https://gitter.im/username/ProjectName".
-contact: "mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org"
+email: "mailto:lessons@software-carpentry.org"
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------
 # Generic settings (should not need to change).
diff --git a/bin/workshop_check.py b/bin/workshop_check.py
index 39ee0bfe2bb87b8c2d054b6ba30845e45e787dff..87b9ec8b2976f329c8be16031e954bbb757250fe 100755
--- a/bin/workshop_check.py
+++ b/bin/workshop_check.py
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ def check_helpers(helpers):
 @look_for_fixme
 def check_email(email):
     """
-    'contact' must be a valid email address consisting of characters,
+    'email' must be a valid email address consisting of characters,
     an '@', and more characters.  It should not be the default contact
     email address 'admin@software-carpentry.org'.
     """
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ HANDLERS = {
                    'helper list isn\'t a valid list of format ' +
                    '["First helper", "Second helper",..]'),
 
-    'contact':    (True, check_email,
+    'email':    (True, check_email,
                    'contact email invalid or still set to ' +
                    '"{0}".'.format(DEFAULT_CONTACT_EMAIL)),