2026 CASN Awards – Nomination period now open!
We are pleased to announce that the nomination period for the 2026 CASN Awards is now open. The members of the CASN Awards & Nominations Committee recently completed a thorough update of the criteria for all six awards so that they continue to recognize excellence in ways that are current, fair, and meaningful. Given the time required to update the nomination forms, this year’s nomination window is slightly shorter than usual. We appreciate your understanding and encourage nominators to review the updated criteria and submit their nominations by the June 17, 2026 deadline.
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Awards:
Academic Administrative Excellence Award
Nursing schools have coped over the last several years with budgetary and human resources reductions, program changes and recruitment problems. Many schools have developed new approaches to nursing education and research and have incorporated emerging technologies into their programs. Some schools have entered into innovative and unique partnerships with colleges, the private sector, clinical sites, and other disciplines. The Academic Administrative Excellence Award aims to promote individuals who are leaders in academic nursing management within CASN.
Ethel Johns Award
The Ethel Johns Award from CASN is named after the founding Director of the first university nursing program in Canada. It is given in recognition of distinguished service to nursing education in Canada. CASN has presented this award to outstanding nursing education leaders since 1988.
Excellence in Nursing Education Award (Permanent/Tenure-Track/Tenured/Term Faculty Positions)
Fostering the highest standards in professional nursing education is a critical component of CASN’s mission. The objective of the award for Excellence in Nursing Education (Permanent/Tenure-Track/Tenured/Term Faculty Positions) is to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of individuals to the realization of our mission and to promote and disseminate good practices in nursing education. This award is presented annually at the Fall CASN Council meeting.
Excellence in Nursing Education Award (Simulation/Lab/Clinical Teaching Positions)
Fostering the highest standards in professional nursing education is a critical component of CASN’s mission. The objective of the award for Excellence in Nursing Education (Simulation/Lab/Clinical Teaching Positions) is to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of individuals to the realization of our mission and to promote and disseminate good practices in nursing education. This award is presented annually at the Fall CASN Council meeting.
Nursing Research Excellence Award
The promotion of nursing research is a critical component of CASN’s mission. The recognition of individual accomplishments in the research arena is an important means by which CASN can acknowledge contributions to the growth of nursing as a scientific discipline. The award for Excellence in Nursing Research is presented annually at the Fall CASN Council meeting.
Wendy McBride Award for Accreditation Reviewer Excellence
The Wendy McBride Award for Accreditation Reviewer Excellence was created by CASN to acknowledge the contribution of a former Executive Director, to CASN and to the CASN Accreditation Program. Accreditation reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of the CASN accreditation program. As external peer reviewers, they assess nursing education programs against CASN accreditation standards using a fair, objective, and evidence-informed approach. Through their professional expertise and collegial engagement, reviewers contribute to quality assurance and continuous improvement in nursing education, while recognizing program strengths and identifying opportunities for enhancement in teaching, and scholarly activity. Reviewers demonstrate professionalism, integrity, and respect throughout the accreditation process and commit to participating in accreditation reviews on a regular basis.
Selection Process
Nominations for CASN Awards go directly to the Awards & Nominations Committee for review. The committee keeps the nominations confidential, including from the executive director and the board of directors, until the winners are selected.
Each award has a separate rating scale to evaluate the candidates’ using criteria listed on the award nomination form.
Committee members submit their completed rating scales, and a statistical analysis is used to rank the nominees for each award.
The highest ranked individual for each award is submitted to the board of directors proposing that the person who ranked first in each category be named the winner. The board votes to ratify the proposed winners of each award.
Past Award Winners
2025 CASN Award Winners
2024 CASN Award Winners
2023 CASN Award Winners
