There has been a real buzz in the Nursing Times office this week, which generally only means one thing, it’s awards judging time again.
All our meeting rooms have been temporary homes to our amazing judges and the reception area has seen a succession of our brilliant finalists waiting patiently for their chance to present.
“All of this judging going on means, of course, that awards ceremony season is just around the corner”
Last week it was the turn of the Nursing Times Workforce Awards, now in its seventh year, and last month it was the Nursing Times Awards, which has been going for yonks.
All of this judging going on means, of course, that awards ceremony season is just around the corner. The winners of the Nursing Times Workforce Awards will be announced on 28 November.
However, the winners of the Nursing Times Awards will be revealed in just a few weeks’ time, on 23 October. Both events are among my favourite evenings of the year.
At the Nursing Times Awards, we will be giving out a trophy for the first time in the Sustainability in Nursing and Midwifery category, representing a very important area that deserves more recognition.
This category seeks to recognise an individual or small group or team of nurses or midwives that has made an exceptional contribution to promoting sustainability and green issues.
I am also delighted to reveal that HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care, first established in 2014, has now become The King’s Award for Integrated Approaches to Care.
In addition, for this year’s Nursing Times Workforce Awards, I am excited to be introducing a new awards category dedicated to celebrating preceptees, which was judged for the first time last week.
The Preceptee of the Year award complements our existing categories for preceptors and preceptorship programmes, Preceptor of the Year and Preceptorship Programme of the Year.
Meanwhile, the Student Nursing Times Awards are back to celebrate student nurses and learners, and those that support them. Our 2025 awards will be open for entries until 13 December.
There are 25 fantastic categories highlighting excellence in all four fields of student nurse education, plus midwifery, as well as other important areas of student life.
I am also excited to announce a new category for 2025, which aims to recognise an outstanding final-year student on a nursing degree apprenticeship course.
All three of these events, I hope, have an important place in the nursing calendar, as an opportunity to celebrate all that is inspiring, innovative and fantastic about nursing and midwifery.
Whether you are on the shortlist for either the 2024 Nursing Times Workforce Awards or the Nursing, Times Awards or thinking of entering the 2025 Student Nursing Times Awards, good luck!
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times