Awards and Scholarships

2027 Innovator of the Year Award

The Innovator of the Year Award will be presented during the 2027 Annual Conference.

The purpose of the award is to nationally recognize best-in-class talented clinical nurse specialists who consistently go above and beyond to pioneer new ideas and drive innovative solutions. The award will be presented to a clinical nurse specialist or a clinical nurse specialist-led team whose product, program, project, or practice best exemplifies nurse-led innovation in patient safety and/or patient and/or nurse outcomes.

Submit Your Nomination

The application period will be open September 9 – October 9, 2026.
Winners will be informed in December 2026.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: 

  1. The candidate must be nominated by a colleague who can affirm and speak to the candidate’s CNS work.
  2. Candidate meets their state of residence’s requirements for CNS recognition by their state board of nursing.
  3. Active membership in NACNS for at least the past 2 years.
  4. The candidate must have at least 3 years of experience as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
  5. The candidate must have been educated as a CNS in a masters or doctoral program.
  6. If selected, the candidate must agree to attend the NACNS annual conference and provide a photo suitable for inclusion in the conference program brochure.
  7. The candidate must serve as a role model to nursing colleagues by:
    1. Advancing the knowledge base or image of nursing through creative activity;
    2. Demonstrating measurable positive patient and / or nurse outcomes and / or the patient experience;
    3. Developing and implemented innovative initiatives to improve quality of patient care;
    4. Serving as a catalyst for change;
    5. Showing evidence of execution and subsequent sustainability for at least 12 months after a full execution cycle;
    6.  Demonstrating the potential for replication and dissemination involving how the innovation can be scaled and spread to others or has disseminated results of innovative initiative findings (publications and presentations).

Award:  

A plaque recognizing the winner will be presented at the NACNS conference and the winner will be featured in the CNS journal. A nontransferable 50% discount on NACNS conference registration will also be awarded.

Selection: 

Applications received by the deadline will undergo review by the selection committee appointed by the Board of Directors. Award recipients will receive an email letter announcing if they have received their award and the day and time the award is planned to be presented. All candidate information/packet must be received by October 9, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Instructions: 

Nomination Packet includes: 

  1. One letter of recommendation from a colleague who can affirm and speak to the candidate’s CNS work, limited to 2-page maximum.
    • Each of the criteria must be addressed in the letter with specific examples.
    • Instead of using name, the nominator must refer to them as candidate.
    • Indicate how the nominator knows the nominee (e.g., in what capacity/role, how long)
  2. A copy of the nominee’s current CV/resumé
  3. Nomination letter and current CV will be submitted together in one pdf.
  4. All submissions must be typed copy.
  5. Selection is made based only on the information submitted.
  6. All information will remain strictly confidential and will not be returned.
  7. Winner will be notified by December 2026. Upon notification, the winner will be asked to submit an official picture for recognition at the next conference.