The Association of California Nurse Leaders Recognition Awards Program is established to recognize excellence in nursing leadership. Outstanding leaders are recognized at the Awards Luncheon during our Annual Conference.

Best Practice Awards

NOTE: Best Practice Awards are awarded to ACNL members only. If you are unsure if your nominee is an active ACNL member , please contact the ACNL office at 916-779-6949 before completing the application.

Excellence in Leadership:  
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has significantly influenced and impacted professional nursing practice and leadership development. Nominees should currently occupy a nurse management or administrator role. Nominations should include examples of impactful  leadership. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Leads shared governance promoting nursing empowerment engaging staff nurses and shared decision impacting policies, procedures, and processes at the point of care.
• Develops exemplary programs supporting staff development 
• Engages in promoting and modeling nurse leader and nursing staff physician collaboration impacting care coordination.
•  Promotes active nurse, patient, family/caregiver collaboration and education to optimize patient outcomes.
  

Exellence in Professional Education:
This award recognizes nurses leading, developing, and implementing impactful professional education programs. Nominees should occupy a role in which they contribute to staff, patient, or student education. This may include service or academic leaders. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• Actively leads or participates in service-academia partnerships demonstrating impactful outcomes and best practices.
• Develops educational programs to recruit and retain upcoming generations of clinical, managerial, and/or administrative nurses across the spectrum of care.
• Creates innovative education programs and practices reaching out to and fulfilling the needs of diverse patient populations using technological, virtual, and other innovative means and practices expanding outreach.
• Develops programs focusing on the ongoing professional development and support of safe, quality transitions of new, experienced, and expert nurses into new practice settings.
  

Excellence in Clinical Practice:
This award honors a nurse leader whose contribution has demonstrated an improvement in nursing clinical practice. This award will provide recognition, document, and communicate the established best practices in clinical nursing. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• Develops programs that promote professional nursing practice and impact direct care providers. 
• Established evidence-based practice research that is translated into clinical practice improvements.
• Provides data to reflect transformative thinking, structure, and processes to address challenges and remove barriers in patient care.
• Demonstrate their ability to influence and improve outcomes in the inpatient or outpatient settings. 
• Contributed to nursing’s body of knowledge or have guided, supported, or influenced nurses’ career development in a meaningful, measurable ways through the art of mentorship.
  

Excellence in Innovation and Technology in Professional Nursing: 

This award is presented to a nurse who best exemplifies an innovative idea (a new or novel approach) that positively impacts patient care and healthcare outcomes. Examples may include: an educational intervention, a product or device, technology, research, a business or program, a service, or a new care model which improves patient safety, workflow efficiency, staff satisfaction, quality outcomes, fiscal responsibility among staff, etc. Submissions should include:

• A description and importance of the issue being addressed.
• The inspiration for the change.
• How the innovation was implemented .
• The resulting impact on practice, education, clinical outcomes and/or the patient experience.
  

Recruitment/Retention & Outreach:
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has made significant contributions in the implementation of best practices in the recruitment/retention of ACNL members, nurses to the profession, or community outreach to promote the image and value of professional nursing.  Examples include: 

• ACNL member or chapter that increases its ACNL members at a minimum of 10% in one year and those new members are retained for at least one year. 
• Development and implementation of an innovative program or practice that improved the retention of the organization’s nurses by reducing burn-out and promotion of mental health and wellness. 
• Development and implementation of a program or practice which supports recruitment or retention of nurses working in underserved and rural communities, either in service or education.
• Implementation of an innovative community-based program that improved the health of the community.

Excellence in Nursing Research:
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has made significant contributions to nursing research that advances scientific knowledge and supports evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes, patient experience, population health, the delivery of cost-effective care, clinical team well-being and productivity.  Examples may include: 

• During the pandemic, nurse researchers investigated questions with the measurable outcome to inform practice, improve care and influence public health.
• Participation in a Delphi Study aimed at development and/or published new or updated nursing practice guidelines for a disease/condition. 
• Identification of priorities for research in nursing education, nursing administration and leadership science with published results/outcomes that positively influenced health system or academia. 
• Participation in research investigations/studies on nurse health and well-being, workplace safety, and developing a nursing workforce to meet current and future needs with published measurable results.

Selection Criteria are as follows:

• Utility of Research- Research has either potentially advanced the health of the public, the continued development of nursing theory and/or the practice of nursing. Advancement in the improvement of workplace environment via transformational leadership strategies with measurable outcomes. 
• Research was relevant and current (within past 3 years). 
• Methods and research practices follow professional standards.

Chapter Excellence Award:
This award recognizes excellence at the chapter level. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Professional and leadership development programs for chapter members. 
• Collaboration/partnerships at the local, regional and/or national levels. 
• Creative programs and practices to promote membership engagement. 
• Iinnovative marketing and/or membership recruitment and retention strategies. 

This nomination must include evidence of ACNL’s recruitment/retention criteria:

1. Increase in membership at a minimum of 10% new members in the current year.
2. Retention of at least 80% all chapter members from the previous year.
   

Emerging Nurse Leader Award:
Awarded to an emerging nurse leader (less than two years in a formal leadership role) who has made a significant contribution to nursing leadership. Please include at least 1-2 examples of an impactful outcome achieved by the newer nurse leader.Examples may include innovation or performance improvement actions with demonstrated outcomes; a positive contribution to ACNL – committee, chapter, Board of Directors, etc.; contributions to the nursing profession, patient care and/or the local community.Include feedback on the emerging nurse leader’s role/behaviors from others.

Mentor-Mentee:  Awarded to an ACNL nurse mentor and mentee pair who participated in the ACNL Mentoring Program and has significantly influenced and impacted each other’s professional success through mentoring. Nominees should have participated in a current or prior ACNL Mentoring Program. Nominations should include examples of impactful mentoring experiences.

• Committed to leveraging the mentoring process and creating a learning journey together.
• Measurable and positive impact on professional and personal goals of the mentee and the mentorship experience..
• Engagement with the mentor with measurable and positive progress on their personal and professional goals as a result.
• MUST include at least two specific examples that include compelling testimonials or letters of support from the mentee, the mentor, and mentee’s current manager or colleague.
  

Contributions as a Humanitarian Award:
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader in recognition of outstanding service and dedication in fighting indifference, intolerance, and injustice. An individual who performs extraordinary acts of heroism and whose accomplishments are consistent with the goals of ACNL in promoting and supporting individuals and/or systems with selfless acts. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Significant involvement with the preparation, prevention and/or response to natural and/or man-made disasters and emergency situations including direct involvement in rescue and/or lifesaving efforts.
• Dedication to improving the health and well-being of others.
• Improvement of health services for those in need.
• Advancement of humanitarian efforts through research, service and/or education.
  

Excellence as a Group
Awarded to a group of individuals who worked collaboratively as a team to promote, achieve, and maintain evidence-based outcomes in nursing practice, education, research, leadership, and professional development in a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. Examples may include but are not limited to: 

• Lead and design complex systems to improve organizational outcomes. 
• Develop standards and practices for leadership implementation.
• Initiate programs to facilitate implementation of evidence-based nursing practices.
• Affect change through evidence-based diversity, equity, inclusive practices.
• Adapt and implement change strategies affecting healthcare trends and challenges.
• Influence policy and legislation at a state or national level.
• Build collaborative relationships with stakeholders, community, local, state and/or national levels.
• Increase creativity and innovation using technology.
• Promote healthy communities.

Awards for Support of Professional Nursing

NOTE: Awards for Support can be awarded to non-ACNL members.

DEIAA Award:
In recognition of the profound impact that diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and antiracism (DEIAA) have on the fabric of healthcare, the Association of California Nurse Leaders is proud to announce the inaugural DEIAA Award. This distinguished accolade seeks to honor visionary nurse leaders who exemplify an unwavering commitment to fostering a healthcare landscape that is not only diverse and inclusive but also actively addresses issues of accessibility and stands against racism.

This award acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting diversity within the nursing community, implementing initiatives that champion equity and inclusion, ensuring accessibility in healthcare settings, and actively contributing to antiracist practices. As California continues to be a melting pot of cultures and perspectives, this award underscores the critical role nurse leaders play in shaping a healthcare system that reflects the rich tapestry of our communities.

Nominees for the DEIAA Award are not only trailblazers in their respective fields but also catalysts for change, driving innovative programs that address healthcare disparities and elevate the standard for inclusive leadership. The award recognizes those who exemplify cultural competence, engage meaningfully with their communities, and deliver measurable impacts through their tireless efforts to advance DEIAA principles.

Friend of Nursing: 
The Friend of Nursing Award recognizes non-nurse individuals or organizations who have had significant, positive impact on the Nursing Profession, ACNL, the local nursing or health care community, and/or the health of people in a significant way. Examples include but are not limited to creation of a center of clinical excellence, supporting funding efforts that promote nurses or nursing programs and/or projects that promote or impact the Nursing profession. Nominees for the Friend of Nursing Award must:

• Demonstrate a commitment to the ideals and purposes of ACNL.
• Demonstrate superior achievement and leadership in their field of work.
• Contribute to the long-term significance of the organization, the nursing profession, and/or to the health of people within a local or regional area. 

Contribution to ACNL:  
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has made significant contributions to the work, vision, and mission of ACNL. Examples include members who have participated in a variety of roles to support ACNL such as past presidents, past board members, committee chairs and liaisons to an ACNL affiliate (CACN, Health Impact, CALNOC, etc.)

Important Instructions: You will need to provide a brief description highlighting specific evidence of the nominee's qualifications related to the selected award category. Please include information about the nominee's participation and involvement in ACNL. You must provide supporting evidence of not more than 3 documents as an addendum to the brief description. Please use the definition of the award category as a guideline for your write-up.