2024 Categories


To begin filling in the nomination form, select Enter Now below. You will be able to add more categories to your basket in the next step. Don't forget to save your entries as you go along.

Click here to view the entry guidelines.

An Duais Mhór is a unique category that cannot be entered, as the winner is chosen by the judges as the overall outstanding person, project or organisation chosen from all of the category winners.

If you are a registered charity or a current student, you will quality for a reduction to your entry costs. 

For charity discounts, see this page.

For student discounts, see this page.


Entries Close:

Friday 18 September 2024

An Duais Mhór

An Duais Mhór is a unique category – it’s for the overall prize winner and highest point scorer in all the categories. This is a singular prize for the best entry in the whole competition.

The judges are asked to mark entries relative to each other within the categories, but also to mark the categories relative to the other categories in terms of the quality of entries. This is so that we can extract the best entrants overall across the categories.

When the judging is complete, we take the top three entries and they are assessed by a smaller judging panel to find the best entry overall. This entry is rewarded with An Duais Mhór – the greatest possible achievement on the night.

This category is now closed

Best Use of Information Technology

This award is for the innovative use of information technology in a healthcare context to improve efficiencies and deliver better patient care. It includes systems that produce savings both in terms of personnel, revenue or patient time.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. A practical application that improves efficiency or care
  2. Cost savings – if applicable
  3. Time savings – if applicable
  4. Ease of use
  5. An explanation of how patients (or doctors or carers) benefit from this technology

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Cross Border Initiative / International Collaboration of the Year

This award is for the best cross-border or international co-operation project of the year. It is for any project, scheme or program that utilises medical skills or facilities in other jurisdictions to benefit patients in Ireland or Northern Ireland. It is also for research and development projects where there are clear results and proven successes achieved in the cross-border or international project that would not have been realisable in Ireland alone.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The Judges will be looking for:

  1. Patient benefit
  2. An increase in teaching or medical knowledge
  3. A saving to either health system
  4. An improvement to the medical services offered in one country

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines 

Educational Meeting of the Year

This award is for the best webinar/meeting of the year. Medical meetings in person have been rarer since the pandemic, and the standard in production and presentation of webinars has increased across the healthcare arena. This award is for the company, person or institution that has produced the best/most educational meeting of 2023 whether online or in-person.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. A meeting that addressed key topics in the area 
  2. Brought together key thought leaders/ researchers of the subject 
  3. Presented important information that is key to the continued learning of HCPs, or education of patients 
  4. Highlighted new areas of research that may have impact upon the future of medicine or healthcare 
  5. Had learning outcomes or opportunities for network and knowledge sharing 

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Excellence in Healthcare Management

This award is to recognise excellence in healthcare management – particularly where it shows a demonstrable patient benefit. This award covers the entire spectrum of healthcare in Ireland – from hospitals to general practice to healthcare institutions of all kinds.

‘Management’ is there for the patient. It’s there to serve and help the medical team deliver results. The key thing for this award to demonstrate is a benefit to patient or doctors or both.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. A practical application that improves efficiency or care
  2. Cost savings – if applicable
  3. Time savings – if applicable
  4. Ease of use

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Hospital Project of the Year

This award is for projects aimed at, or created/developed by, hospital doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other hospital-based healthcare professionals in a hospital setting. The winner will be a project that truly enhances the care a hospital gives and something that makes it demonstrably better than it might be – or competitors are - in terms of patient care. 

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. A practical application that improves efficiency or care
  2. Cost savings – if applicable
  3. Time savings – if applicable
  4. Ease of use
  5. The potential to spread this concept to other hospitals

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Innovation in Healthcare and Medicine

This award is to recognise an innovation in healthcare that increases efficiency in delivery, improves patient outcomes, reduces costs or procedures, or introduces a new and effective service, treatment, or system that improves patient care. Innovations in responding to the recent influx of Ukrainian refugees, or other recent challenges in healthcare (or other ‘crises’) will also be considered where healthcare staff have innovated to provide services relating to the crisis.  
€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. A practical application that improves efficiency or care
  2. Cost savings – if applicable
  3. Time savings – if applicable
  4. Ease of use
  5. Potential to expand the use of this system or innovation

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Innovation in Primary Care Award

Primary Care is at the frontline of patient services. This award is to recognise an innovation in primary healthcare that increases efficiency in delivery, improves patient outcomes, reduces costs or procedures, or introduces a new and effective service, treatment, or system that improves patient care in general practice. Innovations in responding to the recent influx of Ukrainian refugees, or other recent challenges in healthcare (or other ‘crises’) will also be considered where healthcare staff have innovated to provide services relating to the crisis. 

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The project will be judged on:

  1. A practical application that improves efficiency or care 
  2. Cost savings – if applicable
  3. Time savings – if applicable 
  4. Ease of use 
  5. Potential to expand the use of this system or innovation

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Medical Technology Product or Service of the Year

This award is for a device, product or service made or devised in Ireland that has improved medical services to patients, met a patient need, increased medical efficiency or made a profound difference in patient care or welfare.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. Patient benefit or the potential of patient benefit
  2. An improvement in medical efficiency or success rate in surgery
  3. A saving or cost-efficiency to the health system
  4. An innovation that improves healthcare by increasing its capability

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Mental Health Initiative of the Year

This award is designed to highlight the fact that mental health has traditionally been stigmatised and underfunded in Ireland, while recognising efforts to combat this serious social issue.

The award recognises that there is still much to understand and address in the area of the causes, prevention and treatment of mental health illness, and makes a statement about the importance of facilitating best international practice in mental healthcare. 
€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

Submissions should demonstrate: 

Entries for the Mental Health Initiative of the Year Award will demonstrate the advancement of research, treatments, awareness, policies, advocacy, scaled-up quality interventions and services for people with mental health conditions. 

Criteria that the judges will score against: 

Judges will reward individuals, groups and companies in the Irish healthcare sector who have demonstrably improved access to and developed initiatives to improve access and quality care for mental health conditions — including substance use and neurological disorders — in order to create healthy, inclusive environments for society in support of mental well-being. 

The judges will especially seek: 

  1. People who have raised awareness of mental health issues 
  2. Organisations who have led the way in terms of policies regarding people with mental health issues 
  3. Projects and campaigns that have helped people with mental illness and promoted their full participation in society 
  4. How the project advanced the treatment and/or quality of life for people with mental health issues 

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

NCHD Project of the Year

This award is for a NCHD-led project or initiative that had a demonstrable impact on patient care, or our understanding of disease, or both.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. The usefulness of the project in terms of managing and helping patients
  2. The reduction of pain or risk to patients
  3. The value of the scientific knowledge gained from the project

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Nursing & Midwifery Project of the Year

This award for a nurse or midwife-led project recognises the effectiveness of initiatives with clearly defined results and outcomes, originated by an individual nurse or midwife or a team.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will make the award based on:

  1. The usefulness of the project in terms of managing patients and helping patients 
  2. The reduction of pain or risk to patients
  3. If the project made a difference to patient care
Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Outpatient Initiative of the Year

This award recognises innovation or excellence shown in an outpatient setting, for a project aimed at improving the quality of care delivered to this category of patients. This category was especially important in terms of maintaining services to patients during the pandemic, and as we emerge from COVID-19, there are many challenges to deliver the backlog of outpatient appointments and resume services to their previous level.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. An improvement in services which is specific to outpatients
  2. A project that demonstrably improves patient outcomes
  3. A project that makes it easier for patients to attend, or increases attendance
Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Outstanding Achievement in Irish Medicine

Nominees for this award are selected by the editorial team at Irish Medical Times and voted on by the judging panel. The award is for a ‘lifetime’ of achievement, or a scientific breakthrough or practice that has a profound influence on Irish medicine.

It particularly seeks to reward someone whose achievements were in the previous year, but often reflects a lifetime of medical service and excellence.

This category is now closed

Patient Education Project of the Year — Non-Pharmaceutical

This award normally goes to Patient Groups – who are also eligible this year – but this year it is also extended to any group or person who is educating the public about medicine. There is a lot of misinformation being spread on social media – and there are people and groups battling these dangerous lies. We want to include their efforts into this category along with more traditional patient education fora. 

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for a campaign or an education project that: 

  1. Improved patient knowledge and understanding on a certain topic  
  2. Educated the public on a medical topic – such as vaccine effectiveness or medical advice from non-medical ‘experts’
  3. Had a wide reach and level of effectiveness with the public
  4. Advocated for a scientific approach to vaccines, pandemics, disease and healthcare

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Patient Education Project of the Year — Pharmaceutical

For projects that have been established or supported by the pharmaceutical industry, aimed at educating patients, carers and the general public.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for a campaign or an education project that:

  1. Improved patient knowledge and understanding on a certain topic 
  2. Educated the public on health issues and encouraged the public to educate themselves 
  3. Advocated for a scientific approach to vaccines, pandemics, disease and healthcare 
Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Patient Organisation Project of the Year

This award recognises the work of patient organizations and their efforts to educate both the public and their own patients on issues related to their disease or condition.
€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

Submissions should demonstrate:
The need and effectiveness of the project in terms of patient or public education.

The judges will look for:

  1. Evidence that the project has had an impact on public/patient knowledge 
  2. A demonstration of how widely the message was spread  and examples of their work and success 
  3. Patient improvement achieved through their project s/ advocacy work etc 

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Patient Service of the Year – GP / Hospital

This award is for the best patient service that is offered on an outpatient/day treatment basis. The award will be given to the best service that is provided by a clinic, surgery or hospital based on its patient numbers, the innovation and use of this service, the value to patients, and the ensuing quality-of-life. This is an award for the best patient outpatient service, or a patient service within primary care that is unique, efficient and offers patients a valuable improvement in their quality of life.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. Patient benefit – and the scale of patients benefiting
  2. Benefit to staff/education/training etc
  3. An improvement to the medical services

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Public Health Initiative of the Year

This award recognises the most important public health initiative of the year. There are many issues which threaten the general public health. This award is for an organisation, NGO or government body which has had an initiative that has had the most profound effect on public health.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will choose:

  1. A public health initiative that has had widespread appeal
  2. An initiative that has improved public health in a measurable way
  3. An initiative that has helped patients cope with long-term or chronic disease
  4. A measure that can be shown to have worked well
Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Research Project/Paper of the Year

The best research by an individual or group of NCHDs, PhD students in medicine or medicine-aligned science, or undergraduate medical students. It may be in the area of medicine research, or aimed at quality improvement, education or training, enhancing hospital procedures or improving communication between healthcare professionals.    

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will make the award based on:

  1. The usefulness of the project in terms of managing patients or potential contribution to medicine, either as a protocol change or in the area of translational medicine (e.g. research of new druggable targets)
  2. The reduction of risk for patients, improvement in diagnosis speed/accuracy, reduction of harmful outcomes
  3. If the project is applicable for use in either patient care or wider use in the field of medicine/pharmacy/medical science etc.
  4. The depth and level of work involved in completing the project 
  5. Its relevance for patients and medicine  
Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines

Sustainability in Healthcare

This award is for an initiative, system, project or practice that reduces the impact of a healthcare organisation on their environment.

€ 249.00 +VAT (23%)

The judges will be looking for:

  1. Actual reductions in waste, changes that are effective and that work
  2. An improvement in awareness from all involved – patients and staff
  3. A saving or cost-efficiency to the health system
  4. An innovation that improves the ‘green’ or human aspect of healthcare

Your entry must follow our Entry Guidelines