CATEGORIES
A Call For Nominations
Nominations for the following award categories are now open for 2025. Unless specified, all categories are open to healthcare workers in any discipline, including medical doctors, specialists, nurses, allied healthcare workers and health scientists. The judges reserve the right to re-assign a nomination in a category that is deemed most suitable, if it was not nominated in a suitable category.
The nomination process requires a submission of a word abstract (maximum 200 words), about the nominee. A CV will thereafter be requested from all individuals who are shortlisted.
Dates & process
26 August 2025: Call for nominations opens
6 October 2025: Call for nominations closes
AWARD
CATEGORIES
Rising Star
This award is for an undergraduate medical student who has distinguished him or herself academically, through research, or an important contribution to society. This individual must be exemplary, a role model to their peers, with evident talent and potential.
Emerging Star Award
This award is for a young or junior clinician, nurse or medical doctor, including registrars who have distinguished themselves through their leadership, research, academically or contribution to society. This individual must be exemplary, a role model to their peers, with evident talent and potential.
Emerging Leader Award:
This award is for an academic under the age of 40 for any healthcare professional who has demonstrated leadership capacity by holding leadership positions in an academic institution, and by serving on national and international committees and organisations.
Clinical Excellence Award
This award is for an individual who has excelled in their field as a clinician, through great clinical expertise, teaching and role-modeling. Their clinician leadership should have contributed to academic excellence and/ or societal impact.
Nursing Excellence Award
This award recognizes nurses who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, skill, and commitment to their profession and patients. The award celebrates achievements in various areas of nursing, such as clinical practice, leadership, research, and education.
Scientific Excellence Award
This award is for an individual who has led ground-breaking research, which has contributed to the advancement of medicine. The individual should have published extensively, taught, mentored and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students in a manner that has inspired them to become researchers.
Global Excellence Award
This award is for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to medicine at international level, through research, training or innovation. There must be evidence of international recognition. There must be evidence that their contribution has influenced scientific thinking or changed practice.
Health Excellence Award
This award is for a clinician who has served the health and medical community in a distinguished way. Celebrated for a career of health excellence with a balance between clinical, academic and leadership excellence; or a health professional who has made a significant contribution that is recognised beyond healthcare sector.
Leadership Excellence Award
This award is for an individual who has demonstrated great leadership in any area of medicine, within the university, corporate sector or hospital environment, or in health care management, with a proven track record and an undisputed contribution to strengthening the South African healthcare system.
Dr Nthato Motlana Life-time Achiever Award
This award is for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the South African community. The person could be in the public or private sector. There must be evidence that he/she has, through commitment to service, made a significant contribution to society.