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2024 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 14th 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@healthqualitybc.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@healthqualitybc.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@healthqualitybc.ca
  • This information is collected by Health Quality BC 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@healthqualitybc.ca.

Categories & Criteria

Quality Awards Categories

The Quality Awards recognize contributions to quality and innovation in the delivery of care. They encourage and reward initiatives, projects, and people that improve the care in BC.

Excellence in Quality Categories

The five Excellence in Quality categories represent the five areas of care as defined by the BC Health Quality Matrix. All five categories follow the same criteria, but judges will look for elements that address the chosen area of care. Nominated projects may include highlighting approaches, processes, products, or programs that have demonstrated positive results. A project/team can only be nominated in one category.

The application should include measurable evidence of how the initiative improved outcomes, sustainability, economic benefits, and/or demonstrated meaningful impact on patients, families, and communities.


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

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Strengthening Health & Wellness


The Strengthening Health & Wellness award celebrates a project that improved the promotion of well-being initiatives, or projects that 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 programs that address 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 programs or services that provide 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 programs or services that plan, care, or support individuals, families or communities faced with life-limiting illness and/or bereavement..

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria



Individual Award Categories

Each year, we also recognize the contributions of individuals towards improving quality and enhancing the culture of safety and quality in the BC health system.

There are 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.

Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice


The Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice 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.

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!

Nomination Questions

Judging Criteria

Leadership in Co-Creating Health with Communities


The Leadership in Co-Creating Health with Communities award celebrates an individual or team that has shown leadership in partnering with a community in the pursuit of improving health quality. The partnership involves some aspect of co-creation to engage and amplify community voices and what matters to them in advancing the health of their community.

For the purpose of this award category community is defined as a group of people living in the same geographical location, or are linked through having particular characteristic, social connection, or shared interest in common.

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, now Health Quality BC. 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?

Nominations Are Now Closed


Thank you for your interest in the BC Quality Awards: celebrating the people and projects that have made key contributions to quality and innovation in the delivery of care in BC.

Winners will be announced in early 2024.
Awards will be presented at Quality Forum 2024.

Key Dates

Nomination Deadline
Open July 27, 2023
Close October 6, 2023

CONTACT US

Health Quality BC
Unit 201-750 Pender St W
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T8
Phone: 604.668.8210
Email:   awards@healthqualitybc.ca