RNAO’s annual Media Awards competition now open

To honour outstanding journalists bringing the voices of nurses and other health-care workers to the forefront this year, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) invites members of the media to submit stories for the association’s annual Media Awards competition.

“Throughout the past year, journalists have played a key role in covering stories that affect people’s experiences with the health system, including access to primary care, waitlists for surgeries and other procedures, expanding the role of registered nurses to prescribe medications, optimizing the nurse practitioner role across sectors and the province’s move towards investor-driven for-profit care,” says RNAO President Dr. Claudette Holloway. “RNAO wants to recognize their exceptional and important reporting, and honour them for always providing outlets for nurses to speak out.”

A committee of reporters and nurses selected by RNAO – the professional association that shapes health and nursing policy – will judge stories published or broadcast in Ontario in 2023. Previous winners include journalists from The Ottawa Citizen, CBC Toronto, CityNews, and Latinos Magazine. Their work focused on a variety of topics such as COVID vaccinations, a peek behind the scenes of an emergency room, and the health-care obstacles faced by Black women.

“As Ontarians continue to face challenges in the health-care system, journalists continue to work hard to keep Ontarians informed. We admire and thank them for that. We look forward to honouring this year’s winners,” says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun.

Nominations for the Media Awards must be received via the online submission form no later than March 1, 2024.

Categories for the competition include:

Community newspaper

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Daily newspaper

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Radio

• Best news report
• Best in-depth report or series

Television

• Best news report
• Best in-depth report or series

Online

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Podcast

• Best episode
• Best series

Multicultural

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

RNAO will present the awards to this year’s winners during the association’s Annual General Meeting in June 2024. For the complete list of criteria and to fill out an entry form, visit RNAO.ca/about/awards/media-awards.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

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