Advocacy Trailblazer celebrates the patients and caregivers who, despite managing a health condition, manage to push the limits and pave a new path for others on how to educate, raise awareness, and support their fellow community. These are the individuals bringing innovation to advocacy.

Best Team recognizes a team or group that takes their activism to new heights because of the assistance from one another. Whether it be a group that runs an online chat, a non-profit organization, or a caregiver and patient duo – this award celebrates those bringing a team effort to their advocacy.

Not all patient leaders are sharing their own patient journey. Caregiving Champion is for the caregivers who tirelessly raise awareness to better the lives of loved ones. Though they themselves may not be sick, they are the caregivers of children, siblings, parents, significant others, or friends, that have an up-close-and-personal perspective that is invaluable.

A diagnosis can be life-changing, but fortunately so can the support from an online community. Community Cultivator celebrates the online communities or forums that create an inviting space for newcomers while maintaining a safe place that people have come to respect and rely on. Whether through online support groups, live events or forum discussions – these leaders have mastered managing, moderating, and engaging their communities all for the purpose of supporting others.

There are so many avenues when it comes to patient advocacy. Creative Contributor recognizes the individuals taking a creative approach to raising awareness. Think about patient leaders transforming their advocacy into clothing, cards, jewelry shops, comic creation and more. This category celebrates those bringing advocacy to the marketplace.

Healthcare Collaborator is for the advocates bridging the gaps between industry stakeholders and healthcare consumers. Whether speaking at conferences, consulting with healthcare companies, or using their experience to help make change in the healthcare industry, these patient leaders are impacting the healthcare landscape at large.

Some patient leaders are true stars who continue to shine and don’t fit into just one category. The Lifetime Achievement Award is for the veteran patient leaders, who after years of advocacy achievements, stand as role models for the entire online health community. This category recognizes the advocacy leaders that inspire all of us year after year.

Revolutionary Researcher aims to celebrate the patients and caregivers who refuse to let medical jargon and data slow them down. The winner of this category stays up-to-date on the latest research, treatments, and clinical trials. This patient leader has a knack for transforming complex information into layman terms for the greater community to act on.

As anyone in advocacy knows, communities aren’t built overnight. Sharing your story and impacting a community takes time and patience, so let’s encourage those who are recently empowered as patient leaders. Rookie of the Year celebrates the advocates who may be new to the scene, but continue to show the utmost potential. This category is typically for patient leaders with 1-3 years’ experience.

Whether posting to Instagram, hosting Facebook Lives or stitching the latest TikTok trend, the Social Media Master category recognizes the patients and caregivers leveraging social platforms for advocacy. This individual is sharing their story and fostering community through the use of many or multiple social media channels.