The International Hospital Federation’s Awards – the premier, annual awards programme for hospitals and healthcare organizations worldwide – has opened its call for entries for the 2026 edition. The Awards Gala will be a highlight of the IHF’s annual World Hospital Congress, which will also welcome back the i-to-i Innovation Hub, showcasing pioneering hospital innovations using AI and other technological enhancements to reshape traditional hospital care.

Entries will be accepted for both the IHF Awards and the i-to-i Innovation Hub showcase until 24 April 2026.

Celebrating outstanding healthcare leadership

Entries to the IHF Awards 2026 are being accepted in eight categories, recognizing excellence and outstanding achievements in leadership of hospitals and healthcare delivery. The Awards were first presented in 2015 in Chicago (USA) at the 39^th IHF World Hospital Congress. The winners of the 11^th edition of the IHF Awards will be announced during the 49^th IHF World Hospital Congress in October 2026.

Chair of the IHF Awards Committee, Dr Lawrence Lai, spoke about the motivation that drives excellence in healthcare leadership.

“The IHF Awards categories span quality, safety and equity, the wellbeing of our workforce, leadership and management, operations, and the acceleration of environmentally sustainable and resilient care. At the heart of each submitted entry,  there is a unifying purpose – our patients and our communities are at the centre of our strategies and practices are our patients and our communities. Each year, the IHF Awards programme provides global recognition for exemplary achievements that are making a real impact. Each entry tells a story that reflects the dedication of hospital policy makers, leaders, managers, clinicians, and stakeholders – and this programme offers a platform to share their experiences and ideas so that they can inspire peers delivering care for their communities worldwide.”

The eight categories being contested in the IHF Awards 2026 are:

• Dr Kwang Tae Kim Grand Hospital Award – recognizing excellence in the five dimensions of healthcare delivery: quality and safety, patient experience, cost efficiency, workforce wellbeing, and health equity and access.
• Dr Prathap C Reddy Excellence Award for Clinical Quality and Patient Safety – acknowledging excellence or outstanding achievements in advancing clinical quality.
• American Hospital Association Excellence Award for Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing – recognizing excellence or outstanding achievements in ensuring the wellbeing of healthcare workers.
• Mastercard Award for Hospital Operational Excellence – honouring measurable success in operational outcomes and efficiencies.
• American College of Healthcare Executives Excellence Award for Leadership and Management – acknowledging excellence or outstanding achievements in leadership and management for hospitals or healthcare organizations.
• Excellence Award for Low-Carbon Healthcare – recognizing excellence or outstanding achievements in promoting low-carbon healthcare initiatives.
• Seddiqi Holding Excellence Award for Social and Environmental Responsibility – acknowledging excellence or outstanding achievements in advancing social and environmental responsibility.
• Geneva Sustainability Centre Excellence Award for Hospital Sustainability Acceleration – distinguishing hospitals that demonstrate exemplary improvements in sustainability strategies, actions, and reporting using insights and guidance from the Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT).

From innovation to implementation – reshaping models of patient care

Applications to join the showcase at the i-to-i Innovation Hub 2026 are also being accepted to promote how IHF members are using artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to directly transform the delivery of patient care.

Hospitals within the IHF membership are invited to submit innovations being used at the point of care or along the clinical pathway, changing how patients are assessed, monitored, and treated, fundamentally reshaping traditional hospital care worldwide. The shortlisted innovations will have a dedicated space at the World Hospital Congress, and each will be presented at a series of Ignite Talks within the programme.

The Hub is presented in collaboration with Stanford Medicine. Priya Singh, Stanford Medicine’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, shared her hopes for the showcase this year:

“Healthcare is entering a remarkable new era, as we see new technologies such as artificial intelligence begin to transform how care is delivered around the world. We at Stanford Medicine are proud to continue our support for the Innovation Hub and to work with the IHF to strengthen leadership in advancing responsible AI that delivers benefits for the workforce and patients alike. For this year’s Innovation Hub, we are looking forward to showcasing how AI is being applied in clinical pathways across the IHF membership, in a variety of settings and regions. We can learn so much from each other as we all strive to shape a smarter, more innovative future for healthcare.”

The IHF Awards Ceremony and i-to-i Innovation Hub will be part of the programme at the 49^th World Hospital Congress taking place from 20 to 22 October 2026 in Seoul (Republic of Korea). The Congress will be attended by hospital and healthcare leaders from around the globe, gathering under the theme “Global learning, local action for every patient”.