The Schwartz Compassionate Caregivers of the Year^® Award recognizes extraordinary healthcare professionals from across the country who embody the characteristics of compassionate care and whose professional achievements have helped to create healing healthcare environments for patients, families, colleagues, and communities. Recipients will be chosen by a national review committee.

Nominations are for healthcare professionals and may include clinical and nonclinical providers, administrators, educators, and others who provide direct or indirect care to patients, families, and/or healthcare staff.

Please note that family caregivers are not eligible for this award. We recognize the instrumental role a family caregiver plays in providing compassionate care; however, we are currently unable to extend our selection criteria for the NCCY award beyond that of caregivers who are healthcare professionals. Please read more about our criteria here.

Anyone can nominate a healthcare professional for this award. Nominations may be submitted by patients, family members, peers or colleagues.

Healthcare professionals are nourished and energized when they know they are appreciated. It takes just a few minutes to nominate someone, but it can have a lasting impact on their life and the lives of those around them. The NCCY Award includes the following benefits:

• Formal acknowledgement of excellence in compassionate healthcare
• National recognition of the caregiver’s organization
• Celebration of the caregivers at the Schwartz Center’s Annual Dinner

Nominations are closed for 2025.

NCCY recipients will be asked to share their inspiring stories with our community in a video, live webinar and/or on stage the evening of the Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner. We will work with them closely to ensure this is an easy process for them.

No, anonymous nominations are not accepted. All nominations require the nominator’s name and contact information.

Yes, the nominee will be informed that they have been nominated and by whom. They will be asked to answer a few short questions and submit optional supplementary materials to complete the nomination packet.

All nominees will be notified of their standing by the end of October 2025.

Nominees are asked to answer questions about what compassion means to them, and submit optional additional materials, such as letters of support or thanks from colleagues, peers, patients or patients’ family members, articles, or media clips.

If you are selected for the short list, you will be asked to complete a video interview. We will work with you and your organization’s PR team to ensure the process is as easy as possible. Recipients will be selected from this short list.

NCCY recipients will be asked to share their inspiring stories with our community in a video, live webinar and/or on stage the evening of the Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner. We will work with them closely to ensure this is an easy process for them.

We request that all materials be submitted through the online nominee form. Nominees will find a unique link to their form in the email they received from the Schwartz Center. If you have issues with the form or can’t find your unique link, please contact us at award@theschwartzcenter.org.

Nominees are encouraged to submit optional supplementary materials. We recommend submitting materials that cite specific examples of interactions that highlight the caregiver’s compassion.

These materials may include:

• Previously received thank you letters or notes from patients or family members
• Letters from patients or family members that express gratitude or discuss their relationship or an experience they had with the caregiver
• Letters from peers and colleagues within or outside your organization
• Written or video interviews featuring the nominee
• Newspaper or newsletter articles featuring the nominee

A maximum of three materials will be accepted per nominee. Please do not submit PowerPoint slides; they will not be considered. Please submit each material individually, and not in one combined PDF.

Nominees should submit their completed nomination packet, including their additional materials, through the online nominee form. Nominees can access this form by using the unique URL they received in their email from the Schwartz Center. If you can’t find your unique link, please contact us at award@theschwartzcenter.org.

We prefer PDFs, but we also accept Word and JPEG files. Please submit each letter individually, and not in one combined PDF. A maximum of three materials will be accepted per nominee. Please do not submit PowerPoint slides; they will not be considered.  Please submit each material individually, and not in one combined PDF.

Please scan any handwritten notes and submit them through the online nominee form. Nominees can access this form by using the unique URL they received in their email from the Schwartz Center. If you can’t find your unique link or have any issues uploading materials, please contact us at award@theschwartzcenter.org. 

No. The original nomination letter does not count as an additional letter of support, but will be reviewed along with the other materials.