Is email phishing a crime?

Are phishing e-mails like money awards a crime? If yes, how to take action against people who post them?

First you have to catch them.  Many of the scammers work out of foreign companies that do not cooperate with US law enforcement.  They may have a US e-mail address, but they are not located in North America.  

Then there's the scale of the crime.  They might get $5000 out of a victim, who then has to live on ramen noodles for a few years.  Compare that to the Barefoot Bandit they arrested a few weeks ago.  His crimes include stealing and crashing several vehicles including an airplane.  He could have killed someone.  The police have limited manpower.  They go after the criminal who could the most harm.

Strictly speaking, emails telling you about a bogus award are not phishing emails.  They are what is known as a "419" or "advance fee" scam.  Phishing emails attempt to "hook" you into going to a fake site and providing your private information.  An example would be an email purporting to be from your bank, asking you to click on a link in the email, and then requesting your bank login credentials to enter the site.

Different techniques, same sleazy goals.

And, yes, it is all illegal.  But as previously noted, they are hard to catch, and the potential profit is high.