Health Minister's Award for Nursing Trailblazers — nominations open

With a focus on innovation and transformative leadership within the nursing profession, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is calling for nominations for the Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers.

Offering national recognition and established in partnership with the Australian Government, unlike awards that acknowledge excellence in clinical practice alone, this award celebrates nurses who are redefining the boundaries of care through forward-thinking approaches, pioneering ideas and the development of new models of service delivery.

“Their pioneering contributions flow across the entire health system, benefiting patients and communities all over the country,” said the ACN CEO, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN. “Previous winners have led the way with practical solutions in diverse areas such as virtual wound care, mental health recovery camps, needle-phobia, street health services for the vulnerable and disadvantaged, ‘virtual’ hospitals in the home, and palliative care services in residential aged care facilities.

“Healthcare innovation is often thought of as cutting-edge technological and medical advances — but innovation that improves processes and the way care is delivered can have just as significant an impact,” Zeitz said.

Eligible nominees include registered nurses, nurse practitioners and enrolled nurses whose work has significantly advanced health outcomes.

Nominations are open until 1 June, with the winner to be announced at the National Nursing Forum, which will be held 6–7 August 2026.

Information on how to nominate is available at www.acn.edu.au/nursing-trailblazers.

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