Evans Houghton Memorial Award

2008 Deadline: September 15, 2008

The Evans Houghton Award is the highest form of recognition bestowed by the New England Society for Healthcare Communications.

Created in 1975, the Evans Houghton Award was established by the Society's Board of Directors to honor the memory of Evans F. Houghton, one of the Society's Founders. Houghton served for many years as a Director/At-Large as well as Chairman of the Placement Committee. Following his untimely death in 1974, the officers and directors established this memorial award.

The Evans Houghton Award is meant to reward the recipient for exemplary performance in and significant contributions to the field of health care public relations. It is not intended to recognize the many professionals who, every day, skillfully perform their responsibilities. It is meant to reward true “above and beyond” contributions to the field.

NESHCo and the Evans Houghton Committee recognize that “exemplary performance” is subjective.

It is the responsibility of the nominator to make a strong case for why a nominee is truly deserving of the honor.

The Evans Houghton Committee recognizes that a nominee need not be a well-known “personality” to be deserving of the award.

NESHCo has established four general categories for which nominees can be considered for the Evans Houghton Award.

While it is not a requirement for nominees to be “exemplary” in all areas, nominations are strengthened when evidence is presented that shows “above and beyond” performance in multiple categories.

· Contributions (in scope and time) to NESHCo: This category examines the contributions that a nominee has made to the organization, either in a leadership role or as a participant in NESHCo.

· Contributions, exemplary performance in health care PR, marketing and communications on local, state and/or national level: This category recognizes nominees who have made significant contributions to further the profession.

· Accessibility, support to PR and marketing practitioners without thought of personal gain: This category examines how the nominee has given back to the profession in ways such as teaching and mentoring that are not part of her/his expected job responsibilities.

· Initiative demonstrated that boldly challenge herself/himself and peers to excel and meet the highest standards of conduct, professionalism and performance: This category recognizes nominees who have pioneered new approaches to PR, marketing and communications or have contributed to ethical or procedural changes that have elevated the profession.

Evans Houghton Award Application Process
Applications: Download a nomination form (Word).

Criteria: The Evans Houghton Award is meant to reward the recipient for exemplary performance in and significant contributions to the field of health care public relations. It is not intended to recognize the many professionals who, every day, skillfully perform their responsibilities. It is meant to reward true “above and beyond” contributions to the field.

Deadline: All applications must be submitted by September 15, 2008.

Application Materials: All nominations must be submitted as a package and include the following components:

· Application: The nominator must complete the official application, available on NESHCo’s Website.

· Recommendations: Each nomination must include two (2) written recommendations, preferably with one from the candidate’s CEO or direct executive-level supervisor.

· Justification: All nominations must include a detailed narrative justifying the nominee’s credentials for the award.

The Evans Houghton Award is meant to reward the recipient for exemplary performance in and significant contributions to the field of health care public relations. It is not intended to recognize the many professionals who, every day, skillfully perform their responsibilities. It is meant to reward true “above and beyond” contributions to the field. It is not intended to recognize the many professionals who, every day, skillfully perform their responsibilities. It is meant to reward true “above and beyond” contributions to the field.

· Support Materials: Nominations are strengthened when accompanied by materials such as a resume, biography, press clippings, list of accomplishments and awards. The committee recognizes that these can be difficult to obtain, especially when trying to keep nominations confidential.