Awards and Scholarships
Recognizing and investing in exemplary nurse leaders
Since 1982, the ONL Foundation has recognized the outstanding contributions of nurse leaders in the region through our peer-nominated Awards and Scholarships. This is a special way to honor much deserving nurse leaders across our region.
Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by colleagues. Candidates are then evaluated by an awards committee, except for the Sherwood Award, which is selected by the Board of Directors, and the President’s Award, which is selected by ONL’s President. Awards and scholarships are presented each year at the ONL Annual Meeting during our Member Reception and Awards Ceremony.
Nominations
The majority of ONL’s Awards and Scholarships accept nominations for consideration on an annual basis each spring. Both self-nominations and nominations of a colleague or friend are welcome. Please stay tuned for our 2026 call for nominations in February 2026.
Policy, Advocacy, and Influence Accelerator Scholarship
Policy change is one of the most powerful levers we have to achieve systemic improvements in patient safety, workforce sustainability, and health equity, and nurse leaders bring a critical and often underrepresented perspective to policy discussions. And, policy, advocacy, and influence skills and knowledge must be learned and refined just like other skills. This scholarship is designed to help nurse leaders do just that, and it benefits our collective ONL community when more nurse leaders are engaged in this critical work.
The Policy, Advocacy, and Influence Accelerator Scholarship supports nurse leaders in advancing their leadership in the policy space with up to $2,000 to be used toward an educational program of their own selection. To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must be an RN or APRN licensed in a New England state and must be an active ONL Member. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
About ONL’s Awards and Scholarships
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Mary B. Conceison Award
The Mary B. Conceison Award recognizes outstanding contributions by a nursing executive.
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Karen Kirby Award
The Karen Kirby Award honors nurses who lead outside traditional roles, are entrepreneurial and innovative, have outcomes at the national and/or international levels, strategically support nursing leadership organizations, and generously provide support to colleagues.
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Janet Madigan Advocacy Award
The Janet Madigan Advocacy Award recognizes excellence as a community advocate or political leader committed to supporting and advocating for the nursing profession and patient care.
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Pamela Leigh Vecchiarino Nursing Leadership Award
The Pamela Leigh Vecchiarino Nursing Leadership Award honors nurse leaders who are patient-focused change agents who are committed to improving outcomes, advance the profession of nursing, and are compassionate role models to others.
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Elaine K. Sherwood Award
The Elaine K. Sherwood Award recognizes outstanding commitment and contributions to the mission and work of ONL. The recipient is selected by ONL’s President, Past President, and President-Elect.
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President's Award
This award recognizes personal contributions to ONL that go beyond expected performance. This award is given at the discretion of ONL’s President, President-elect, and Past President.
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ONL/DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Award
The ONL/DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Award, a collaboration between ONL and the DAISY Foundation, recognizes a prior DAISY Award honoree for exceptional nursing leadership, demonstrating compassion and respect for the care clinical nurses provide, and fostering an environment where compassion and care are valued.
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Marilyn Rinker Memorial Scholarship
The Marilyn Rinker Memorial Scholarship honors Marilyn's legacy by supporting nurses in their pursuit of advanced degrees, providing scholarship support in the amount of $2,000 for a qualified registered nurse to participate in an approved course of study leading to an advanced degree with an emphasis in nursing leadership.
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Sharon A. Smith Scholarship
The Sharon A. Smith Scholarship honors Sharon's legacy by developing nurse leaders and supporting their continued educational journey in nursing programs or advanced degree programs, providing scholarship support in the amount of $2,000 to be used toward pursuit of a nursing degree.
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Laudio Outstanding Nurse Manager/Nurse Director Scholarship
The Laudio Outstanding Nurse Manager/Nurse Director Scholarship recognizes nurse leaders that demonstrate strong leadership skills, support a continuous journey towards excellence, and exhibit promise for greater contribution and levels of responsibility. Recipients receive scholarship funds to exclusively for ONL’s nurse leader development programs.
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Policy, Advocacy, and Influence Accelerator Scholarship
The Policy, Advocacy, and Influence Accelerator Scholarship supports nurse leaders in advancing their leadership in the policy space with up to $2,000 to be used toward an educational program of their own selection. To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must be an RN or APRN licensed in a New England state and must be an active ONL Member. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
Past Award and Scholarship Recipients
We are proud to have so many exemplary nurse leaders within our community. Please click the button below to view Award and Scholarship recipients from prior years.