BC Quality Awards  logo

2023 BC Quality Awards

Celebrating People & Projects That Made Health Care Better!

The BC Quality Awards celebrate projects within five areas of care as well as four inspiring individuals, including patients, caregivers and health care professionals. Now in their 13th year, the awards help us recognize and raise the profile of improvements to the quality of care in BC.

How to Nominate

Click on the Categories & Criteria tab to identify the award category which best suits your nominee. Underneath each category’s description, you’ll find information about what to include in your nomination as well as its scoring criteria.

When you’ve selected your category, click on the "How to Nominate" tab to view step-by-step instructions. If you have questions, check out our FAQs or contact us at awards@bcpsqc.ca.

How to Nominate

Here are the step-by-step instructions that you’ll need to follow when submitting a nomination. If you have questions, check out our FAQs or contact us at awards@bcpsqc.ca.


Step 1:
Register using the orange button on the right side of your screen.

Step 2: Choose your category. Underneath each category’s description, you’ll find information about what to include in your nomination as well as its scoring criteria.

Step 3: Once logged in, click on “My Nominations” on the right side of your screen. There, you’ll select BC Quality Awards from the drop-down list and hit Create.”

Step 4: Complete the contact details for you as the nominator, and the nominee. If you’re submitting a nomination for one of the five Excellence in Quality categories, please use the “Nominee” tab to provide a primary contact for the team or initiative.

Step 5: Once youve completed the contact information, proceed to the Nomination Questions” tab. Select your chosen category from the drop-down list.

Step 6:
Fill in your nomination in the designated boxes. You are welcome to attach appendices such as charts, reports, etc. You must combine your appendices into one single document (Word or PDF) that is no more than three pages total. If you submit more than three pages of appendices, the judging panel will only read the first three pages.

Please do not share any personal and/or identifiable information about another individual unless you have their permission to do so. This includes information such as names and care experiences.

Step 7: Save your nomination as a draft or submit as final when you are ready. You will be able to edit your submitted nomination up until the submission date.

Things to Note

  • Each question has a word count limit. We encourage you to aim to meet the limit to make sure your nomination contains the right amount of detail.
  • Each nomination is evaluated according to a 50-point scoring framework.
  • Evidence of improvements to the quality of care provided is critical to the evaluation process. As noted in the BC Health Quality Matrix, evidence includes knowledge gained through formal academia and clinical research, such as randomized control trials. It also includes knowledge gained through collective expertise and lived experience, such as Indigenous knowledge and practices passed through oral tradition, as well as groups’ shared stories and experiences.
  • Quality is defined through the lens of the BC Health Quality Matrix.
  • Be sure to explain the project simply so that it can be understood by someone who doesn't work in the health system. Please do not use acronyms.
  • References are included in the word count, but you are welcome to move them into other answer boxes where you have room or to your appendices.
  • When you have prepared your nomination, we recommend asking someone else to check it for spelling and grammatical errors. Up to 5 points (or 10% of your final score) will be awarded for the quality of your submission.
  • Note that your name and details will be seen by the judges who review your nomination.
  • Take a look at an example nomination and read our list of tips for making your nomination stand out.
  • You can update any information you have previously submitted in your nomination at any point up to our nomination deadline.
  • You’re entitled to access and correct any of your personal information that is within our custody and control. You may make such requests by contacting us at awards@bcpsqc.ca.
  • This information is collected by the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council under section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act and will be used to administer the BC Quality Awards. If you have any questions about the collection of this information, please email awards@bcpsqc.ca.

Categories & Criteria

Excellence in Quality Categories

The five Excellence in Quality categories represent the five areas of care as defined by the recently updated BC Health Quality Matrix. All five categories follow the same criteria, but judges will look for elements that address the chosen area of care. A project can only be nominated in one category.

The Optimizing the Early Years award celebrates a project that improved care for maternal health and wellness or advanced early development.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Strengthening Health & Wellness

The Strengthening Health & Wellness award celebrates a project that improved well-being or prevented injury, illness or disability.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Returning to Health & Wellness

The Returning to Health & Wellness award celebrates a project that improved care for acute illness or injury.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Living with Illness or Disability

The Living with Illness or Disability award celebrates a project that improved care and support for chronic illness and/or injury.

Nomination Questions 

Judging Criteria

Coping with Transition from Life

The Coping with Transition from Life award celebrates a project that improved planning, care or support for life-limiting illness and/or bereavement.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria



Individual Award Categories

There are also four categories that recognize inspiring individuals, including patients and caregivers as well as health care practitioners. Each of these categories features its own judging criteria.

The Quality Culture Trailblazer award celebrates someone who helped to advance and create a culture that helped their team or organization thrive. They fostered teamwork and open communication, and they engaged with staff to innovate and challenge the status quo in pursuit of high-quality care. They created an environment of cultural safety and humility, psychological safety and trust.

Nominees do not have to work in leadership roles, but they do have to be agents of internal culture change in their workplace.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

The Everyday Champion award celebrates someone who showed a passion and commitment for improving quality of care that was outside of their formal role to lead positive change. They saw a need for improvement and committed to action, leading by example and inspiring others.

Nominees do not have to work in leadership roles, or roles that specify participation in quality improvement activities. We believe everyone can play a role in improving the quality of care, regardless of their position or leadership responsibilities!

Nominaton Questions

Judging Criteria

Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice

The Leadership in Advancing Patient Voices award celebrates a patient, caregiver or family member who made an outstanding contribution to patient engagement in BC’s health care system. They took the lead to inspire and support other patients, caregivers, family members and health care organizations to partner in pursuit of better care.

Nominees may be better suited for the Quality Culture Trailblazer award (see above) if they are health care professionals who have done work to embed a focus on the patient voice in their workplace.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

The Doug Cochrane Leadership in Quality Award celebrates someone who made an inspirational, significant and sustained contribution to improving the quality of health care in British Columbia. These contributions may have been made in the fields of health policy, care design, innovation or academia, and brought to patients at the point of care by cultivating skill development, implementing improvement initiatives or providing respectful and compassionate care for those in need.

This award is named in honour of Doug Cochrane’s contribution as founding Chair of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council. Doug is a longtime leader in improving quality and safety, having chaired the BC Patient Safety Task Force from its inception in 2003 to the creation of the Council in 2008. He also served as the Provincial Patient Safety & Quality Officer from 2008 to 2019. He has also chaired the BC Patient Safety & Learning System and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, and he is currently the Board Chair of Interior Health.

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Forgot Password?

Key Dates

Nomination Open:
July 25, 2022
Nomination Close:
October 11, 2022

CONTACT US

BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
Unit 201-750 Pender St W
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T8
Phone: 604.668.8210
Email:   awards@bcpsqc.ca