Community Excellence Awards 2026
The Civitas 2026 Community Excellence Awards recognize outstanding Civitas member organizations and individuals advancing community health through innovation, leadership, and partnership. These awards highlight impactful contributions in areas such as data use, quality improvement, governance, and mentorship. Please browse this year's award categories below and submit a Civitas member organization or one of your peers that you think exemplifies the award description. Thank you in advance for helping us recognize the amazing organizations across our networks!
Community impact award
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that positively impacts their local community, striving to improve outreach, engagement, education, inspiration, and connection. The recipient of this award has made outstanding and meaningful contributions to identify community goals, build coalitions to achieve them, and measure progress.
Innovation Pioneer
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that has identified, built, and demonstrated a new and creative way to streamline a process or workflow, or deliver new and innovative services and value. As innovation pioneers, they have reduced friction, improved quality of care, driven efficiency, and fostered equity in truly innovative ways.
Moving Data into Action
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that has liberated and leveraged data to drive policy, outcomes and/or equity at the community, state, or national level. The awardee will have used multiple data sources to make the case for policy, research, or process change, and has seen the differences implemented while measuring impact.
Quality Improvement Trailblazer
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that identified quality measures or an initiative and significantly moved the needle. The organization will have shown evidence of selecting a novel quality measure, using a different process toimpactit, or having a significantly greater impact than previously published for the measure chosen.
Root Cause Champion
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that has brought together cross-sector community leaders and stakeholders (at any scale) to identify root causes of inequity, developed a plan for addressing those root causes, and identified a sustainability model that incentivizes and motivates the advancement of that effort.
Governance Gold Medalist
Awarded to an organization
Recognizes an organization that has led the effort to build/refine a governance model for data sharing and health improvement across sectors, between health care and community-based organizations, between for profit and non-profit organizations. The awardee has built an inclusive governing table and has transparent governance practices.
Partnership Promoters
Awarded to two organizations working together
Recognizes two organizations who have built a sustainable and cooperative and complimentary relationship that delivers benefits to their community that are greater than the sum of the parts. Together, these organizations are breaking down data silos and integrating their services/solutions to deliver a unique capability.
Emerging Leader
Awarded to an individual
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated leadership, commitment to professional development, and collaborative skills with peers, colleagues, and community members. This rising leader is a top performer and is making significant contributions to their organization and community and regularly engages in the Civitas network.
Leadership Excellence
Awarded to an individual
Recognizes an individual who has brought together a community, organized other leaders around a common goal, and made a substantial impact on a community, region, state, or the nation, going above and beyond their normal duties.
Dedicated Mentor
Awarded to an individual
Recognizes an individual who has consistently empowered their team, industry peers, other leaders, students and/or community members to encourage engagement and career paths in community leadership, health improvement, policy, advocacy, interoperability, or technology.
*NEW THIS YEAR* The Deb Web Award for Excellence in Health IT Leadership and Community Engagement
Awarded to an individual - presented in honor of Deb Anderson, whose brilliance, generosity, and unwavering commitment to others has left an enduring mark.
Known affectionately as the “Deb Web,” Deb was a true computer genius—an IT guru whose expertise spanned systems, solutions, and the people who rely on them. More than her technical mastery, it was her spirit of collaboration that defined her legacy. She was dedicated to health improvement and community-centric solutions. Deb was always the person who showed up, stepped in, and lifted others up—patiently sharing her knowledge, solving the unsolvable, and turning challenges into opportunities for growth. She also recognized and procured talent in others sponsoring and mentoring along the way to build capacity in others. She was magnetic and built an incredible network across the country.
This award celebrates individuals who embody Deb’s example: those who lead with both intellect and kindness, who empower others through knowledge, and who strengthen the entire network simply by being part of it.
May all recipients of this award continue to weave the same spirit of support, innovation, and excellence that makes the “Deb Web” so extraordinary.