The NLN recognizes individuals and organizations of stature and distinction within nursing education and the wider stage of American health care. The League’s core values of Caring, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence provide the foundation for the pursuits these awards represent.
NLN President's Award
The NLN President's Award is nursing education's top professional honor celebrating distinguished career achievements and success. Honorees may include nursing leaders, educators, supporters, and organizations in recognition of their accomplishments and for demonstrating a commitment to the importance of nursing education to our nation's health care and global communities.
Past Awardees:
2020: Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, RN, FAAN; The DAISY Foundation
2019: Marilyn H. Oermann, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN; George E. Thibault, MD
2018: Susan L. Groenwald, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN; Barbara Nichols, DHL, MS, RN, FAAN; Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN
2017: W. Clive Patrickson, PhD; Patricia E. Thompson, EdD, RN, FAAN
2016: Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, PhD; Pamela Thompson, MS, RN, CENP, FAAN
The NLN Awards
Each year, the NLN Awards Committee seeks nominations of individuals who contribute to the NLN's mission: promoting excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of the nation and the global community. The NLN awardees are selected from a competitive field of nominees and are presented the awards at the annual NLN Education Summit.
Each year, in two distinct categories, the NLN recognizes local leaders of constituent leagues who go the extra mile for their state, the NLN, and the nursing education community. The Outstanding Leadership of a Constituent League Award and the Innovative and Effective Membership Recruitment Award. The selection is based on nominations received from NLN-affiliated constituent leagues.
The NLN Award for Public Policy Advancement
The public policy award honors deserving congressional leaders who contribute to the advancement of health care, nursing, and nursing education in the United States.
The NLN Research in Nursing Education Grants Program supports high-quality studies that contribute to the development of the science of nursing education. Each year, the NLN awards research grants to faculty or doctoral students of NLN member schools. Award recipients are formally announced at the NLN Education Summit each fall.
In 2019, the NLN launched its innovative awards initiative by selecting First Place and Honorable Mention winners for the "Best Of " articles published in Nursing Education Perspectives (NEP) in three categories: Feature-length Article; Research Brief; and Innovation Center. The awardees are formally recognized at the NLN Education Summit.