Emerging Professional Eligibility & Application Components
Nominations for the 2026 cohort are now open!
The Emerging Professional Voices program is open to rising nurse leaders in all settings. Nominees must meet the eligibility requirements and nominators should complete all components of the application.
Nominators must illustrate how the nominee has demonstrated exemplary leadership through innovation and influence. The maximum length for each response is 200 words.
Eligibility Criteria
Emerging Professional Voices is open to rising nurse leaders in all settings. Work areas could include clinical, quality, education, safety, academic and critical access. Please read the criteria carefully before submitting your nomination.
- Any nurse leader either in a formal or informal nursing leadership role.
- Has demonstrated exemplary leadership within their organization, community and the nursing profession through innovation and influence.
- Exhibits significant potential as a future health care leader and role model.
- Minimum of BSN or actively enrolled in a BSN program.
- Nurse leader who demonstrates interest in assisting AONL in achieving its objectives.
EPV nominee applications MUST be blinded where indicated. Please do NOT include the nominee name in those sections. The nominee's name MUST be replaced with first and last initials. Applications that are NOT blinded may be DISQUALIFIED.
AONL staff and board members are not eligible to be nominated.
Selection Process
The AONL Membership Committee will conduct a blind review of all nominations and score each nominee based on the established rubric criteria. The final number of individuals recognized will be determined by the number of submissions but will not exceed 20. All nominators and nominees will be informed of the results in late summer 2025.
Below are examples of both a high-scoring and lower-scoring application, meant to be used as guidance during the process. Any identifying information has been changed.
High-scoring nomination Lower-scoring nomination
Important Dates
Application Deadline: June 17
Notifications to Nominee and Nominator Late Summer 2025
Application Components
Nominee Vision Statement
Nominee statement: Vision of nursing leadership. (Nominator, please work with the Nominee to get their statement for submission)
Nominee Challenge Statement
Nominee statement: Response to significant challenge faced within the past 5 years. (Nominator, please work with the Nominee to get their statement for submission)
Professional Goal
Nominee’s approach to achieving a goal within the past 5 years
Results and Outcomes
How nominee drove results/outcomes within the past 5 years
Innovation
Example of nominee innovating in their role and/or promoting a culture of innovation in their organization within the past 5 years. (Innovation does not have to be something that has never been done before, but should be done in a new way, and can be demonstrated through individual work or as part of a group/team.)
Influence
Example of how the nominee has demonstrated influence within the past 5 years. Describe the outcomes and provide metrics if available. (Does not need to be in a formal leadership capacity, can be in a peer-to-peer or "influencing up" capacity. Examples include leading organizational committees, influencing research, engaging staff, publishing and community engagement.)
Healthy Environment
Example of how the nominee has created a healthy environment through the promotion of reduced health care disparities, professional accountability, respect and support in their practice within the past 5 years. (Healthy environments allow all team members to feel accepted and respected.)
