Make 2026 Your Year: Apply for the Best of Nursing Awards
>>Make 2026 Your Year: Apply for the Best of Nursing Awards
Nurse.org is proud to announce that our FIFTH annual 2026 Best of Nursing Awards are officially open! The "Best of Nursing" Awards are a Nurse.org annual initiative to recognize and celebrate dedication and excellence in the nursing industry in the U.S. These awards are so popular that we now have two categories:
What makes the Best of Nursing Awards truly special is that all award winners are voted on by the nursing community and supporters - peers, classmates, professors, followers, and loved ones! This level of recognition speaks volumes to the amazing work these individuals do day in and day out for the nursing profession.
👉 Apply Or Nominate Now!
Submit your application by 2/3/2026! All applicants proceed to the final phase of voting. The finalists with the most votes for each award win the title of Best Of (in their category)! Apply or nominate a nurse, brand, or organization.
Two Award Categories
The 2026 Best of Nursing Awards are divided into two distinct categories to reflect the many ways impact shows up in nursing.
Nurse Content Creator Awards
These awards honor nurses and nursing students who use content creation to educate, advocate, entertain, and build community.
Whether your platform is large or growing, polished or raw — if your voice is helping nurses feel informed, supported, or seen, this category is for you.
Content Creator Award Categories
- New Nurse Creator: Recognizes an emerging nurse creator who has recently begun building content and is already making an impact.
- Short-Form Video Nurse Creator (TikTok / Reels / Shorts): Honors excellence in short-form video storytelling, education, or entertainment on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts.
- Long-Form Video Nurse Creator: Celebrates creators producing in-depth nursing content on platforms like YouTube or other long-form video channels.
- Podcast Nurse Creator: Recognizes a nurse-led podcast that informs, educates, or supports the nursing community.
- Nursing Education Creator: Honors creators focused on teaching clinical concepts, skills, or professional development.
- Lifestyle Nurse Creator: Celebrates content that highlights life as a nurse — including wellness, balance, routines, and personal experience.
- Nurse Advocate Creator: Recognizes nurses using their platform to advocate for patients, policy change, equity, or the profession.
- Travel Nurse Creator: Honors creators sharing insights, education, or lived experiences from travel nursing.
- Collaborative Nurse Content Creators: Celebrates teams, duos, or collectives of nurse creators working together.
- Nursing Specialty Creator: Recognizes excellence in content focused on a specific nursing specialty.
- Comedic Nurse Creator: Honors nurses using humor and satire to reflect the realities of nursing life.
- Nursing Humor Meme Creator: Celebrates meme-based or visual humor content that resonates deeply with nurses.
- Performing Arts Nurse Creator: Honors nurses who use music, dance, or performance to creatively express themselves.
- Nurse Entrepreneur Creator: Honors nurse creators building businesses, brands, or products alongside content creation.
- Nursing Student Creator: Celebrates nursing students using content to document, educate, and support peers.
👉 Apply for Nurse.org's Content Creator Awards!
Nursing Industry Award Categories
These awards recognize companies, organizations, tools, schools, events, and products that meaningfully support nurses and the nursing profession.
- Shoes: Recognizes footwear brands that prioritize comfort, durability, and nurse-specific needs.
- Scrubs: Honors scrub brands delivering quality, fit, function, and style for nurses.
- Events: Celebrates conferences, summits, or gatherings that bring the nursing community together.
- AI Tool: Recognizes AI-powered tools improving education, workflow, staffing, or patient care in nursing.
- Nurse Staffing Agency: Honors agencies supporting nurses through ethical staffing, transparency, and opportunity.
- Nursing School: Recognizes educational institutions preparing the next generation of nurses.
- Nurse Fashion & Accessories: Celebrates brands creating apparel, accessories, or gear designed for nurses.
- Medical Equipment: Honors companies providing tools or equipment that support clinical excellence.
- Hospital: Recognizes healthcare organizations demonstrating commitment to nurses and patient care.
- Book: Celebrates books written for or by nurses that educate, inspire, or support the profession.
- Nurse-focused Nonprofit: Celebrates nonprofit organizations supporting nurses.
Awards and Prizes
Content Creator award winners to receive:
- A digital badge to display online
- A Best of Nursing Awards plaque
- Named as The Best on Nurse.org (over 1 million visitors per month!)
- Exclusive featured article on nurse.org
- Shout-out on Nurse.org’s social media accounts (reaching over 30 million users per month!)
- Featured in Nurse.org's weekly newsletter (800,000 subscribers)
Nursing Industry award winners to receive:
- A digital badge to display online
- Named as The Best on Nurse.org (over 1 million visitors per month!)
- Exclusive featured article on nurse.org
- Shout-out on Nurse.org’s social media accounts (reaching over 30 million users per month!)
- Featured in Nurse.org's weekly newsletter (800,000 subscribers)
Timeline
- Application phase (1/13-2/3/26): Apply for yourself (or your company, brand, or organization) — or nominate someone else! All nominees (yes, even self applications) progress to the voting phase!
- Voting phase (2/9-3/1/26): Community voting opens!
- Winners are announced (3/9/26): Check our social media accounts and nurse.org/awards to view the list of winners!
You Don’t Have to Wait to Be Nominated
Let’s be clear: You absolutely CAN apply yourself! No nomination required. No permission needed.
Recognition isn’t about bragging. It’s about visibility, opportunity, and momentum. If you’re building, supporting, educating, advocating, or creating within nursing in any way, this is for you.
What Are the Best of Nursing Awards?
The Best of Nursing Awards are Nurse.org’s annual celebration of excellence and impact across the U.S. nursing ecosystem.
Each year, winners are selected by the people who know the work best — the nursing community itself, including peers, educators, classmates, followers, and loved ones.
That kind of recognition carries real weight.
What Happened After the 2025 Awards
For the 2025 winners, these awards were more than a title — they were a turning point.
Content Creators
Last year’s content creator award winners were invited into high-profile, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and celebrated on some of the biggest stages in nursing and beyond.
- Invited to NurseCon at Sea with complimentary attendance and honored on board
- Recognized on the field at Cincinnati Reds Nurse Appreciation Night, receiving custom jerseys from Clove Shoes
- Selected for an all-expenses-paid Nurse.org Content Creator House, where winners lived, collaborated, and created content together
- Invited to some of the most exclusive nursing conferences in the country to attend and cover events as influencers and media
These experiences opened doors to brand partnerships, speaking opportunities, collaborations, and platforms many winners never thought were possible.
Nursing Industry Award Winners
Winning a Nurse.org Best of Nursing Award is powerful validation for brands, companies, and events. Being voted to the top by the nursing community affirms their mission and fuels their commitment to serving nurses.
More importantly, the awards changed how they saw themselves. And it all started with an application.
Recognition Matters
Nursing moves forward because of people and organizations who show up, build, and support the profession every day.
If that sounds like you — or something you’ve created — this is your moment.
Make 2026 Your Year.
👉 Apply for the 2026 Best of Nursing Awards
Or nominate a nurse, brand, or organization. Nurse.org reserves the right to remove any categories with less than 5 nominations.
2024/2025 Winners:
- Most Influential Nurse: Nurse Erica
- Best Nurse Community Initiative: Travel Nurse Takeover
- Best Nurse Content Creator: Travius Keandric
- Best Nurse Event: NurseCon at Sea
- Best Nurse-Founded Business: Mel’s Crafty CoRNer
- Best Nurse Leader: Gabrielle Abelard
- Best Nurse Innovation: Awake and Walking (Kali Dayton)
- Best Nurse Mentor: Brandy Pinkerton
- Best Nurse Nonprofit: Don't Clock Out
- Nurse Podcast Host: Sarah Lorenzini
- Best Nursing School: Southern University School of Nursing
- Best Nurse Scrubs: OliveUs
- Best Nurse Shoes: Clove Shoes
- Best Nurse Technology: DreamCloud Psychiatry
- Best Nurse Wellness Advocate: Georgie Villareal
- Best Rising Star, Early Career Nurse: Kylie Brinkerhoff
- Best Stethoscope for Nurses: Littmann Stethoscope
- Best Travel Nursing Agency: Travel Nurse Across America
2023 Winners:
- Nurse Leader of the Year: Wali Khan
- Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year: Melanie Van Sistine
- Nurse Influencer of the Year: Nurse Erica
- Most Inspirational Nurse of the Year: Amber Ghafer
- Nurse Brand of the Year: Fabletics Scrubs
- Nursing Organization of the Year: Debriefing the Front Lines
- Travel Nursing Agency of the Year: NuWest
2022 Winners:
- Nurse Leader of the Year — Jonathan V. Llamas (2022)
- Most Inspirational Nurse — Brandy Pinkerton (2022)
- Nurse Creator of the Year — Kathleen Green (2022)
- Nurse Innovator of the Year — Spencer Jones (2022)
- New Nurse Go-Getter — Kristine (2022)
- Nursing Student to Watch — Alexis Heal (2022)
2021 Winners:
- Most Influential Nurse of the Year — Nurse Blake (2021)
- Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year — Sarah Gaines, Founder of The Six-Figure Travel Nurse Course (2021)
- Nurse Leader of the Year — Kelsey Rowell, wholelifenurse.com (2021)
- Best Scrubs — FIGS (2021)
- Best Shoes — NIKE (2021)
- Best Fashion Statement / Accessories — Pretty Little Scrub Society (2021)
- Nursing Innovation of the Year — Trusted Health (2021)
- Best Nursing Ad Campaign — American Nurses Association (2021)
- Best Deal for Nurses — Chipotle, Healthcare Heroes (2021)
- Nursing School of the Year — UCLA School of Nursing (2021)
- Nursing Professor of the Year — Dr. O (@nursingtheoryprof) (2021)
- Best Nursing Test Prep Program — UWorld (2021)
- Best Place to Work — Boston Medical Center (2021)
- Best Travel Nursing Agency — Trusted Health (2021)
- Viral Nursing Moment of the Year — Travel nurse badge photo by @moniquejolicia (2021)
- Best Entertainment for Nurses — Nurse Blake PTO Comedy Tour (2021)
- Best Media Outlet — New York Times, “Death, Through a Nurse’s Eyes” (2021)
- Nursing Issue of the Year — Nurse Burnout (2021)
- Nurse Image of the Year — “Hero” by @mjhiblenart (2021)
- Legislator(s) of the Year — Senator Sherrod Brown & Representative Jan Schakowsky (2021)
