Awards & Recognition
Nominations for 2027 AONL and AONL Foundation awards will open this October.
AONL members embody the mission of the organization — transforming health care through expert and influential nursing leadership. Recognizing and honoring AONL members who excel in their roles and inspire their peers is the personification of these annual awards. Consider nominating an individual or group who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, implementation of innovative practices, ground-breaking research or other significant contributions to nursing leadership practice.
Nominations for AONL 2027 Awards are opening soon.
Submission Deadline Fall 2026 | TBA
Nominees Notified January 2027
Award Presentation April 12-17, 2027; Phoenix
The AONL Prism Award recognizes organizations that support the strategic objectives of addressing disparities in health care outcomes, healthy work environment, nurse well-being and safety across all roles and settings, within the nursing profession, health care organizations or community. Learn about AONL Prism Award eligibility criteria.
The AONL Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a distinguished nurse leader whose career reflects sustained excellence, transformational leadership, and enduring contributions to the nursing profession. The award honors individuals who have demonstrated superior leadership through service, innovation, advocacy and a lifelong commitment to advancing nursing leadership while exemplifying the mission and strategic priorities of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL).
The nominee must have demonstrated a career characterized by measurable impact on nursing leadership, healthcare transformation, workforce development, policy and innovation. Learn about AONL Lifetime Achievement Award eligibility criteria.
The Exemplary Leadership Award recognizes a nurse leader who has significantly influenced professional nursing practice and the professional development of others throughout their career. AONL believes every nurse has the potential to be a leader and inspire evidence-based care. This award supports AONL's mission by honoring an individual whose sustained influence and evolving impact—across career stages—has advanced nursing practice, leadership, and community health. Learn about the Exemplary Leadership Award eligibility criteria and nomination process.
The Pamela Austin Thompson Emerging Leader Award recognizes an engaged AONL member who exhibits significant potential as a future health care leader and demonstrates exemplary leadership within their organization, community, and the nursing profession. The award is named for AONL CEO Emeritus Pamela Austin Thompson, who played a pivotal role in AONL’s development of leadership programs for emerging nurse leaders, all aimed at preparing the next generation of nurse leaders to meet future practice needs. Learn about the Pamela Austin Thompson Emerging Leader Award eligibility criteria and nomination process.
The AONL Chapter Achievement Award recognizes an AONL Chapter that promotes nursing leadership and its influence in the areas of the advancement of nursing practice, patient safety, quality, recruitment and retention, or another priority initiative for that particular state/region, and can serve as a model for other states or regions with similar interests. Learn about the AONL Chapter Achievement Award eligibility criteria.
The AONL Foundation Nurse Researcher Award honors an individual who exemplifies outstanding research excellence through original, groundbreaking, and methodologically sound contributions to nursing leadership and systems science. The recipient’s work is aligned with AONL research priorities. It demonstrates—or holds strong potential to demonstrate—significant impact, as reflected in scholarly citations, influence on policy or clinical practice, and meaningful benefits to targeted communities or society. Read the AONL Foundation Nurse Researcher Award description.
The FAONL designation recognizes exemplary nurse leaders who have made significant and sustained contributions to the specialty of nursing leadership and to AONL.