How to enter
Entries for the 2026 Awards are now closed.
This year, entries were invited from NHS-led teams from all over the UK across 4 broad categories, plus a new industry-led category focussing on patient safety. Our panel of internal and external judges will select three finalists from each category, which will be showcased at the awards event before announcing the winners.
Categories
NHS-led innovations
The NHS innovation competition is designed to celebrate and showcase excellent ideas that were conceived, and are driven, by NHS staff. Entries into any of the four categories below needed to have been led by an NHS organisation from anywhere in the UK (or a not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers NHS services); collaborative projects with universities or industry are encouraged, but any prize we may decide to offer will only be awarded to the NHS lead organisation.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve patient services and/or safety
Innovations that are designed to use AI to improve services (including hospital processes, diagnosis, screening, treatment and therapy) and/or improved patient safety.
Improved treatments, therapies and rehabilitation
Innovations designed to improve treatments for patients, (including, but not limited to, treatments involving surgery and devices to enhance surgical outcomes), and improved rehabilitation interventions.*
Delivering benefits through diagnosis and screening
Innovations designed to improve the detection and diagnosis of health conditions or disease. *
Processes and systems innovations
Innovations that are designed to improve efficiencies and outcomes for service delivery organisations.*
*If AI, entries would have been assigned to the AI category.
New - Industry-led innovations to address patient safety challenges
The new industry-led category is designed to celebrate and showcase innovations that are being driven by Small or Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to address NHS and Social care challenges concerning patient safety. Entries needed to have been led by an SME but need to demonstrate some existing engagement or interaction with NHS or social care organisations. This category will be judged by our colleagues at NIHR SafetyNet (the national network of NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborations) and NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) Network.
Medipex is committed to support parity of esteem, so entries relating to either physical or mental health were welcome in all of the above categories.
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