Thank you for your interest in submitting an award nomination!
Writing a compelling award nomination requires specific examples, measurable results, and a clear connection between the nominee’s accomplishments and the award criteria. Start with a strong opening, outline concrete achievements, use bullet points for readability, and explain the nominee’s impact, ensuring the committee understands why they are truly exceptional.
Steps to Write a Strong Nomination:
- Analyze the Criteria: Tailor your nomination to the award requirements or criteria.
- Draft in a Document: Start in a Word document rather than the form to allow for editing, organizing, and collaborative feedback, then copy/paste into the submission form.
- Use Concrete Examples: Instead of simply describing the nominee (e.g., they are “hardworking,”) provide a specific story or project where they demonstrated their skills.
- Include Measurable Results: Quantify achievements with data to show impact, if relevant.
- Structure the Narrative:
- Introduction: State who you are nominating and for what, including a strong opening statement about their impact.
- Body Paragraphs/Bullets: Detail specific examples, highlighting leadership, innovation, and teamwork.
- Conclusion: Summarize why they deserve the award, reiterating their unique contributions.
- Request Support Letters: Consider including others who have worked with the nominee to contribute a nomination for that person so they might offer different perspectives on the nominee’s qualifications.
- Be Concise: Focus on quality and relevant details rather than a long list of duties. The nomination does not have to be long in order to express the candidate’s excellence, but it should have enough detail that the committee finds compelling evidence.
- Review and Edit: Check for clarity and ensure all information is accurate, taking time to proofread before submitting
Sample Nomination
Award Category: New Practitioner of the Year
- What is the Award Category for which you are nominating this person? You can nominate someone for more than one category, but you must provide separate nominations.
Nominee: Florence Nightingale ARNP, DNP-PMHNP, BC
Nominator: Clara Barton ARNP, DNP-PMHNP
Nominator’s contact details: moc.liamg@baralc; 206-555-1212
As a little girl in England, Florence dreamed of becoming a nurse, and she pursued this ambition diligently for years, overcoming many obstacles including emigrating to the United States.
- Include some relevant biographical details.
She started her career as a certified nurses’ aide and then an LPN for many years before obtaining her RN. She worked as a [specialty] nurse at [hospital] for [x] years and completed her BSN. She eventually left hospital nursing to pursue her interest in community health nursing and began to work at [place] as a [specialty] nurse serving [what patient population?]. Her experience as a [specialty] nurse propelled her into pursuing [advanced degree] at [school] to [e.g., further support the needs of her community – what was the nominee’s goal?].
- Include some relevant career development details that support this nominee’s excellence.
After becoming a board-certified PMHNP, she pursued employment with [current job situation] to [what is the nominee’s goal?] where she has worked for just a little less than a year, treating [what kind of patients?] in an [outpatient? inpatient?] setting, [what are they doing professionally?].
Florence continues to…
- Include details about the nominee’s professional conduct that establishes the reason for the nomination.
Florence continues to…
- Tell the committee details about the nominee that made them stand out to you. Is it their attention to patient care? Is it their passion for research? Is it their consideration for cross-cultural implications to care? Is it their study of psychopharmacology?]
Florence is an excellent example of…
- What makes this nominee special?
Florence is an example of outstanding drive, passion, professionalism, and dedication, and I am proud to nominate her for this award.
- Summarize the reasons why you think the nominee deserves recognition.
Supporting links or data:
- Consider linking the nominee’s LinkedIn profile, articles they wrote, or articles written about them, anything that further supports the nomination.
Many thanks to Angela Kokinakos, co-chair of Awards & Recognition Committee, for creating these instructions on writing an award nomination.