Healthcare Environment Awards 2025

Recognizing innovative, life-enhancing design that contributes to the quality of health and care.

The application period for the 2025 Healthcare Environment Awards opens August 14, 2024.

At The Center for Health Design, we believe:

Design can improve safety.
Design can enhance experiences.
Design can increase organizational efficiency.
Design can improve outcomes. Tell us about yours.

The Center for Health Design. Maximizing Health through Informed Design.

Eligibility

Professional entries of built work must be interiors that are fully operational no earlier than September 1, 2022, and no later than July 1, 2024.
Conceptual entries must have been completed no earlier than September 1, 2022, and no later than July 1, 2024.
Student entries must have been completed in either the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school years.
If your project fits the eligibility requirements above and has previously been submitted for the Healthcare Environment Award but was not an award recipient, you may reapply.
Firms may enter multiple projects within the same year. The projects can be in the same category.

Logistics

Entries must be blinded – remove all mention of firm/university/organization and individuals within the narrative; no logos (or descriptive text) are to be included on images.
Professional entries of built completed work must include a minimum of six and maximum of 10 images, including a minimum of one floor plan, all submitted in .jpg format. While a side- by-side before-after image may be most appropriate to share a concept, compilations of multiple images should not be used.
Conceptual and student entries must include a maximum of 10 .jpg images of renderings or photographs of models. Compilations of multiple images should not be used unless they are inherently a component of the concept being portrayed.
Submission Fees:
- Professional built and conceptual entries: $475
- Affiliate+ and Corporate Affiliate member entries = $425
- Student entries: $45
Deadline to submit: September 27, 2024
The decisions of the judges are final. The judges reserve the right to make no award.

Tips

You are encouraged to write a narrative with the input of the interdisciplinary team.
For the purpose of this award’s goals, stock “marketing” language typically used in promotional materials is usually not the best way to communicate complex and nuanced strategies that have been considered and weighed against other options.
Make sure the narrative aligns with the images you are submitting.

Recognition/Awards

Planning, Design & Construction | PDC Summit

Winners will be announced at The Center for Health Design’s awards presentation during the 2025 PDC Summit in Atlanta, GA
Winners receive recognition in the gallery spaces at the PDC Summit
Winners receive one complimentary registration to the PDC Summit

Other Recognition

One crystal award will be presented to each winning project.
Winning projects will be featured in an issue of Health Facilities Management Magazine a publication of the American Hospital Association and on The Center for Health Design’s website.
Winning projects may also be featured in a Center for Health Design awards booklet and/or webinar.

Touchstone Award 2025

About the Award

Presented by The Center for Health Design, the Touchstone Awards recognize exemplary use of an evidence-based design (EBD) process in the built environment through projects and products demonstrating exceptional achievements across the three touchstones of the EBD process: collaboration, evaluation, and sharing.

Since 2009, over 3,000 individuals have obtained certification through the EDAC (Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification) program. These individuals, together with their colleagues, clients, and project teams, have employed the EBD process in projects and products worldwide to enhance health, safety, and wellness; increase value; improve outcomes; and, engage stakeholders.

The Touchstone Award – with its rigorous judging by accomplished and renowned industry veterans – represents the pinnacle of achievement for evidence-based design by practitioners, firms, and teams.

Should You Apply?

Your commitment to evidence-based design runs deep. Like the adoption of evidence in medical practice, the choice to use evidence and research in the design and construction or fabrication of your project or product demonstrates your organization’s thoughtful commitment to the highest standards and a desire to make a difference for those who have entrusted you with their health, safety, and wellbeing.

You have created a distinction of difference. The Touchstone Award distinguishes your project or product as a stellar example of design executed to improve the patient, family, staff, and visitor experience; health, safety, wellness, and other measurable outcomes; and, the overall value for all stakeholders and the organization.

You want to showcase your innovative design solutions, build momentum for future projects or products, and deepen relationships through the celebration of your collaborative and impactful work.

You will advance the industry’s knowledge by sharing your EBD journey and lessons learned to create an environment that will improve outcomes.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to submit at all project stages while employing an EBD process; a single project or product is eligible to receive all levels of award over its lifecycle.

Touchstone Award Criteria

Submissions are scored based upon their success in achieving criteria in the three categories:

Collaborate: Submissions must demonstrate interdisciplinary team and stakeholdereducation, engagement and development.

4 Best Practices to Running an Efficient Submission Program

Evaluate: Submissions must demonstrate the extent to which evidence was found, evaluated, and applied to develop and link design strategies to outcomes and how the project or product measured and evaluated the results and outcomes.
Share: Submissions must demonstrate how the EBD process was applied and how the knowledge gained was documented and disseminated and how lessons learned were shared and could have potential application for future projects or products.

Award Levels

There are three award levels: Silver, Gold, and Platinum and will be determined based upon successful achievement of the criteria within each category (Collaborate, Evaluate, and Share). Applicants will only be awarded the Gold or Platinum Level if they have also met the majority of the criteria in the preceding levels.

A Platinum Award demonstrates the highest achievement and application of the EBD process. Projects or products that are solely conceptual, or are not yet built, will also be considered for an award. These will qualify for the Silver or Gold level. Projects or products must be built in order for them to be considered for a Platinum award.

Jury

An expert review panel consisting of key industry stakeholders — Academics, Architects, Designers, Healthcare Executives, Planners, Facility Executives, Patient and Family Advisors, Researchers — has been engaged by The Center, who will manage the process and ensure blind entry judging. If any juror has participated in any of the submitted projects or products, he or she will not participate in judging for that submission. In all cases, basic information will be blinded from all jurors.

Process

1. Register

Click on the "Register" link and complete and submit the registration form.

2. Login

3. Create

Create your online application.

4. Save

During the Call for Applications period, your application can be saved as DRAFT until all the required information is completed and attachments uploaded. As each section is complete, you will see a appear in the category tab when the application is saved. At any time, you can download and print your application by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section.

5. Submit

On completion, save your application as FINAL. Download and print a copy of your application for your records by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section in the right column. Note: If an update is required prior to the Call for Applications period, you can make the update and resave as FINAL.

If you require assistance or additional information, please contact the Award Administrator.

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Key Dates

Healthcare Environment Award:

Application Open:

Aug 16, 2024

Application Close:

Oct 4, 2024

Review Start:

Oct 11, 2024

Review End:

Nov 21, 2024

Awards Winners Announced:

Nov 22, 2024

Touchstone Award: