Apply Now for the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award

The 2026 AHA Dick Davidson NOVA application period is open. U.S. hospitals that are AHA members in good standing can apply. The Award is presented annually to celebrate outstanding partnerships between hospitals and community organizations to improve community health. Applications are due by noon Central Time, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. For questions, contact nova@aha.org.

Up to five winners will be honored at the Healthier Together conference, May 12-14, in Dallas. One representative from each winning organization will receive complimentary registration, airfare, and two nights at the conference hotel.

Please note: This is a hospital award, not a health system award. If a hospital program is chosen for the Award, the hospital that applied—not the entire system—will be recognized.

Evaluation and Judging

Applications are reviewed by the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Committee, comprising experts in population and community health. AHA is grateful for the extensive volunteer contributions made by Committee members.

Requirements

Programs must be operational for at least two years at the time of submission. The application must come from hospital staff, not vendors or consultants. Honored programs must:

• Identify key leaders to work with AHA and move the field forward.
• Participate in outreach and education.
• Provide logos, photos and videos for AHA use.
• Designate a representative for the award ceremony and panel discussion at the Healthier Together conference.

Applications become AHA property and may be used for best practices and case studies. In these cases, AHA will contact the organization to explore its interest in participating.

Deadline

Applications are due by noon Central Time, Wednesday, Oct. 1. We are unable to accept late applications.

Additional Guidance

• Use concise, bullet-pointed responses with clear examples. If a system or mechanism that you have already described as a response to one question is also relevant to another answer, please feel free to refer to the original description rather than repeat it.
• Outcome measures are strongly preferred over process measures.
• Use data from the past two years with benchmarking comparisons.

Contact AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award staff at nova@aha.org with questions.

Please Note:

• Answer all questions marked with an asterisk. If a question does not apply, enter “NA.”
• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
• Submitted applications cannot be modified or edited.
• Each uploaded page should be single-sided with one table, graph, or chart per page. Applications that exceed the maximum allowed pages will not be reviewed.
• The application portal closes at noon Central Time, Oct. 1. No extensions will be granted.
• After submission, you will receive a confirmation email. If you don't see it in your inbox, check your clutter/spam/junk folder.

Begin Your Application

To begin an application, close this tab. Create an account on the application portal to start, save and return to your application. Only one account per organization is allowed.