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APNA Annual Awards

The APNA Annual Awards recognize APNA members who demonstrate excellence in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice, education, research, leadership, innovation, community efforts, and more. Recipients are recognized at the APNA Annual Conference and in APNA communications throughout the year.


Congratulations to the 2026 APNA Annual Awards Recipients

APNA Psychiatric Nurse of the Year

This award is the highest honor for an APNA member who demonstrates vision, perseverance, dedication, initiative, and facilitation in the delivery of psychiatric-mental health services to individuals, families, and their communities. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Distinguished Service

This award honors sustained commitment, initiative, loyalty, integrity, and exceptional and meritorious service to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. This service may include, but is not limited to: officer, board member, state or regional representative, members of task forces or committees — those who have provided outstanding service to APNA. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Education

The award recognizes a member who has fostered the professional growth of psychiatric-mental health nurses through imparting knowledge, skill, and critical analysis to the field. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership – APRN

This award honors an APNA APRN member who has distinguished themselves as an exceptional nursing leader through their impact on practice, patient outcomes, a community, workforce development, organizational performance, or access to care. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership – RN

This APNA member must distinguish themselves as an exceptional nursing leader through their impact on practice, patient outcomes, a community, workforce development, organizational performance, or access to care. Criteria

 

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Practice – APRN

This award recognizes an APNA APRN-PMH member who has made significant contributions to psychiatric-mental health nursing practice. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Practice – RN

This award recognizes an APNA RN-PMH who provides or promotes exemplary psychiatric-mental health nursing practice to patients, families, and populations. Criteria

 

APNA Award for Excellence in Research & Scholarship

This award is granted to an APNA member who has made a significant contribution to research in psychiatric nursing care, education, leadership/management and/or health services. Criteria

 

APNA Team Achievement Award

This award recognizes a nurse-led team whose collaboration on a project or activity within the past 1-2 years has advanced psychiatric-mental health nursing care. Criteria

 

APNA Annual Awards Nominations are Now Closed

How to Submit Your Nomination
  • Click here when the call for nominations opens. On the next screen click the black Login button and log in with your APNA username and password.
  • Review the instructions on the submission page and click Add Another Submission.
  • Complete the online nomination form.
    • Fill in your information and the information for your nominee.
    • Select the award name from the drop down on the following page.
    • When completing the form, be sure to include specific examples of how the nominee has achieved excellence in his/her practice, what makes the nominee stand out in the profession, and what the nominee has accomplished that meets the criteria.
  • Find a reference to complete the form.
    • On the reference page of your nomination submission, enter a contact’s name and email address to generate an email that will include a link to submit their reference.
    • In order to be considered, each nomination must have both a nominator and a reference.
  • Once your nomination is complete, click the Submit button.

View past APNA Annual Awards recipients here. 

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