Nominations Are Open!

Nominations for the 2025 Nursing Excellence Award are open and will be accepted through Friday, November 21, 2025. To assist you in crafting a compelling nomination, please refer to our Tips for a Successful Nomination and view our Virtual Training.

EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE AWARDS - The Excellence in Practice Awards are offered in the following categories:

• Advanced Practice - Masters prepared nurse in an advanced practice setting; clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, nurse psychotherapist, CRNA
  
  
• Ambulatory Nursing - Clinic, office and other ambulatory care settings, employee health, FQHC, occupational health, industrial health, infection control 
  
  
• Behavioral Health - Behavioral health and substance misuse services 
  
  
• Case/Quality Management/Managed Care/Informatics/Infection Prevention - Community or hospital case manager, quality management, risk management, infection prevention, patient safety, utilization management, and informatics
  
  
• Critical Care - Adult ICU/CCU, cath lab, special procedures 
  
  
• Emergency - Emergency department, flight, ambulance, pre-hospital, urgent care, telephone triage 
  
  
• Home Health & Hospice - Home health care settings, hospice, in-patient hospice 
  
  
• Long-Term Care/Rehabilitation - Nursing home, gerontology, services for disabilities, rehabilitative services, subacute/transitional unit
  
  
• Maternity/Women’s Health - Obstetrics/nursery, gynecology, women's health
  
  
• Medical/Surgical - Acute or chronic medical and surgical nursing specialties 
  
  
• Pediatrics - Inclusive of school nurse, pediatrics, NICU, PICU, Peds ED, early childhood/early intervention services
  
  
• Perioperative - Preoperative, post anesthesia recovery, day surgery, operating room
  
  
• Public Health/Community - Public health, forensic, transplant coordinator, tele-health, parish and corrections/prison nursing

Excellence in Practice Award Nomination Criteria (pdf)

Nominate a Nurse: Excellence in Practice

LEADERSHIP IN NURSING AWARDS - The Leadership in Nursing Awards are offered in the following categories:

• Emerging Nurse Leader - Inclusive of those in new leadership roles within the past 18 months:  charge nurses, assistant nurse managers, supervisors. First-line nurse leaders are those professionals who are responsible for overseeing first-level nursing services. 
  
  
• Nursing Leadership - Inclusive of clinical nurse managers, coordinators, directors; these middle management nurse leaders are often responsible for overseeing several units, departments, or service lines within an organization.
  
  
• Nurse Executive Leadership - Inclusive of Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Deans, executive vice presidents of nursing, or equivalent.  These professionals are responsible for leadership at the executive table; designing strategic, operational delivery systems and directing patient care services/education throughout an organization.

Leadership in Nursing Awards Nomination Criteria (pdf)

Nominate a Nurse: Leadership in Nursing