Award Categories and Judging Criteria

Focus is on the effective digital implementation/delivery of annual reports as well as reports on community benefits, foundation, capital campaigns, events, wellness, white
papers, research findings, and other initiatives (reports can also be in print, but only digital delivery will be evaluated).

This category recognizes healthcare organizations that are preparing their digital content for the next era of search, where patients, consumers, caregivers, and professionals increasingly expect direct, trustworthy answers across search engines, AI-powered tools, voice assistants, chatbots, and other answer-driven experiences.

Winning entries will demonstrate a thoughtful strategy for making healthcare information easier to find, understand, trust, and act on. Submissions may include efforts such as structured content, schema markup, FAQ optimization, provider and location data improvements, content governance, medical review processes, entity-based SEO, conversational search planning, and optimization for AI-generated responses.

Judges will consider the strength of the strategy, technical execution, content quality, accuracy, accessibility, user intent alignment, privacy and compliance considerations, and measurable impact. This category celebrates organizations that are not just chasing visibility, but helping people get clear, credible healthcare answers when and where they need them most.

This is a Special Award Category.  

This category recognizes digital communities that bring people together around shared health experiences, needs, or goals. Entries may include patient, caregiver, consumer, or professional communities hosted on websites, apps, social platforms, private networks, or other digital channels.

Winning entries will demonstrate how the community creates meaningful connection, delivers credible and useful information, and supports members in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment. Judges will consider the strength of the community strategy, quality of moderation and governance, accessibility, engagement, user experience, privacy practices, and measurable impact.

This is a Special Award Category.  

This award recognizes digital initiatives that help populations stay healthy through prevention, by avoiding risk factors, and by managing chronic conditions. This includes population health communications campaigns as well as medical management tools, news, and information to help consumers manage chronic conditions; two-way communication between a patient and healthcare practitioners; and opportunities to monitor clinical care. This category also includes initiatives related to addressing social determinants of health.

Category covers campaigns for children’s hospitals and pediatric care that include digital channels and may also include other "traditional" channels such as TV, radio, outdoor, print, etc. Evaluations based on goals, marketing content, creative, and results.

This is a Special Award Category.  

The category evaluates entries based on how well an organization is using digital communications and tools such as websites, intranets, mobile apps, e-newsletters, internal social networking tools, and other collaboration platforms to foster a positive culture, to enhance employee retention, productivity, and satisfaction and to reduce administrative costs.

This is a Special Award Category.  

This category covers campaigns that are digital only. Campaigns may include promotion of a service line, product, branding, special event, fundraising, staff recruitment and
retention, or other internal communication effort. Evaluations based on goals, marketing
content, creative, and results, if available. Detailed guidelines supplied upon entry.

This is a Special Award Category.  

Sponsored by:

This category covers campaigns that include digital and other traditional channels such as
TV, radio, outdoor, print, etc. Campaigns may include promotion of a service line, product,
branding, special event, fundraising, staff recruitment and retention, or other internal
communication effort. Evaluations based on goals, marketing content, creative, and
results, if available. Detailed guidelines supplied upon entry.

This is a Special Award Category.  

Focus is on impactful campaigns. Campaigns elements, including ads, landing pages, and strategy in support of business objectives will be evaluated. Winning entries will be expected to share goals and results.

This is a Special Award Category.  

Focus is on patient/consumer engagement through social media including Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, blogs, chats, live video, and other social networking channels. Includes use of paid and/or organic social media and social
influencer campaigns.

This award recognizes organizations demonstrating excellence in their implementation of online reputation management, including elements such as review monitoring and response, review generation and amplification, facility and physician profiles and ratings implementation, data integration, technology platforms, organization/department collaboration, and KPIs and other analytics to measure and demonstrate success.

This is a Special Award Category.  

Focus is on the successful deployment of strategic communications and technology to bolster relationships between physicians and healthcare organizations, driving referrals, supporting service lines, and building healthcare brands. (Note: Also see category 27, Best Provider Directory.)

Sponsored by:

This category awards the successful application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to achieve marketing goals, including customer acquisition and retention, online content personalization, digital experience, understanding user intent, social listening, physician search, online reputation management, call center optimization, and others. 

This is a Special Award Category.  

Sponsored by:

This award recognizes organizations that use data strategically to drive marketing efforts — through segmentation, personalization, predictive modeling, geo-targeting, and other approaches — to engage specific audiences and achieve business objectives. Audience targeting strategies (e.g., behavioral, demographic, geolocation); use of tools like CRM platforms, CDPs, or programmatic media; privacy and ethical data practices; innovative use of first- or third-party data; and documented achievement of business objectives will all be considered.

This is a Special Award Category.  

This award recognizes strategies that achieve demonstrable ROI, business goals, and positive community health outcomes. Measuring healthcare marketing results is crucial for optimizing strategies, allocating resources, and demonstrating accountability. Judges will evaluate reported results against marketing objectives. Results may include ROI, conversion metrics (e.g., volumes, sales, form fills, appointments), campaign performance (e.g., impressions, clicks, CTRs), and also community health outcomes (e.g., vaccinations, cancer screenings, smoking cessation rates).

This is a Special Award Category.  

This category covers any form of digital content, including health libraries. Entries will be
evaluated based on the extent, balance, currentness, organization, and credibility of the information presented. Content will also be evaluated based on how well it contributes to achieving the organization's strategic objectives. Includes content for all types of audiences, including individual wellness, community health initiatives, and more.

Focus is on the best healthcare content delivered as an email. How extensive, balanced, up-to-date, well-organized, and authoritative is the information presented? How effectively do design, content, and delivery facilitate the goals of the audience and the healthcare organization for this content.

Sponsored by:

Focus is on the organization's use of this unique content channel to communicate with internal or external audiences. Entries will be judged on the quality/effectiveness of the content and the podcast's ability to achieve organization's business objectives.

Focus is on interactive features and technologies that engage patients and establish ongoing relationships via personalized web pages, e-newsletters, and email alerts. Includes functionality such as online health risk assessments, and AI-driven interactive features such as chatbots.

Category includes video, audio, animations, virtual tours, and multimedia.

Category includes entries of a single video under 2 minutes in length. Video deployed as TV advertisements, web video, TikTok, Reels, YouTube or on any other platform can be entered.

Category includes entries of a single, longer-form video (2 minutes or longer).

Category includes a cohesive series of videos. This can include a video channel. Video deployed as TV advertisements, web video, TikTok, Reels, YouTube or on any other platform can be entered. Judges will evaluate three individual videos from the series.

This is a Special Award Category.  

Only the home page will be judged. Do the design and navigation facilitate access to key site information? Does it provide strong branding and excellent usability?

This category focuses on a critical element of any digital campaign. Landing page or
microsite may promote a service line, product, branding, special event, fundraising, staff
recruitment and retention, or other internal communication effort, or other marketing goal. Evaluations based on implementation of marketing content, design, creative, clarity, and ease of path to conversion, and results, if available.

This award recognizes the best examples of healthcare mobile experience, whether via installed app or mobile website via a browser. Websites entered will be evaluated exclusively from a mobile perspective. Usability, design, branding, quality of content, clarity of purpose and consumer ratings will all be evaluated.

How easy is it to find a healthcare provider — physician, nurse, dentist, or other professional — who meets a consumer’s or referring physician’s needs? How organized, extensive, and interesting is the information on the doctor? Are appointment requests facilitated?

Is the web design unusual, attractive, and engaging? Does the design facilitate access to key site information? Does it provide strong branding and excellent usability?

Sponsored by:

This category recognizes the practical, high-impact work of helping people find care and take the next step. The focus is on using digital tools to enhance patient access and convenience including patient portals, scheduling, call-to-action strategy, appointment booking and scheduling, referral routing, ER wait times, patient test results, bill pay, patient-physician communications, directions, classes/events, and service preregistration. 

Factors considered include delivery of strong healthcare content, interactivity, medical care support, integration with the organization’s operations, as well as strength of web design, ease of navigation, and digital accessibility.

This award recognizes an organization’s overall digital strategy and commitment to using the digital initiatives to achieve its mission and strategic business objectives. Factors considered include financial resources and organizational focus on digital initiatives as well as results of initiatives implemented.

To enter this award category, your organization must enter at least four other award categories and provide details supporting your submission so that the organization can be fully evaluated. Detailed guidelines supplied upon entry.

This is a Special Award Category.