Social Health Awards | How It Works

Table of Contents

The Social Health Awards, previously known as the WEGO Health Awards, are kicking off to celebrate patient leaders from across all platforms.

Though we’ve made some exciting enhancements to this year’s program, our goal and intention remain the same: to empower and celebrate those leading the online health community – because the work of patient leaders is something to celebrate!

Health Union’s extensive research into social health has found that 95% of individuals use social resources for support and guidance. Even more impressive? Thanks to patient leaders, 86% of patients better understand their condition, and most importantly, 62% of patients feel less alone.

Year after year, this program has proven to be one of the best ways to honor, recognize, and celebrate the work of patient leaders. As we’ve grown our community and implemented member feedback, we’re eager to present the next evolution of the awards program.

New This Year

Thank you to all community members who have provided ideas and insights about the awards program. We’ve taken these suggestions into consideration to make the following enhancements:

Timeline:

June 13-July 1st

June 27th – July 1st.

Categories:

Advocacy Trailblazer

Caregiving Champion

Celebration:

📌 Note: The 2022 Social Health Awards program is only open to US-based patient leaders due to the rapidly-evolving changes in global data privacy laws and regulations. We appreciate your patience as we diligently work on expanding our data privacy policy to support international users. We plan to celebrate global patient leaders next season.

The Full Breakdown

The Social Health Awards are split into four different phases:

Nominations

Endorsements

Judging

Celebration

Nominations

June 13-July 1st

Think of nominations as a way to recognize your favorite patient leaders for the work they are doing. With 10 award categories, it’s easy to show your appreciation for all the patient advocates in your life. To start nominating, simply click here.

🏆 Tip for Nominees: Share out your patient leader profile and ask your community to recognize you for the Social Health Awards. Don’t be afraid to post on social, reach out to foundations, and include them in any email correspondence. Your work deserves to be recognized! Once you’re nominated, you’ll receive a Nominee Media Kit for easy social sharing.

Who should be nominated? Who can win a Social Health Award?

Anyone who is an active and leading member of an online community, and making a difference in healthcare, is eligible to be nominated. They should provide the community with valuable information and support to make a difference for other patients and caregivers.

Think about the advocates and influencers you see moderating Facebook communities and website forums, blogging about their health journey, collaborating with healthcare companies, publishing articles on health sites, and presenting on national stages. Patient Leaders have started non-profits, published podcast episodes, and authored books – there is no shortage of Patient Leaders’ contributions to the world, so let’s recognize as many of them as we can for their talents, contributions, and commitment.

Please note, the 2022 Social Health Awards program is only open to US-based patient leaders due to the rapidly-evolving changes in global data privacy laws and regulations. We appreciate your patience as we diligently work on expanding our data privacy policy to support international users. We plan to celebrate global patient leaders next season

How do I nominate someone?

Go to our Social Health Awards nominations page to get started. Tell us who you want to recognize, where you follow them online, and the Social Health Award you think they should win. Once you’re finished nominating your favorite patient leader, feel free to share that nomination with your community or send a tweet with the hashtag #SocialHealthAwards. And be sure to nominate early and often; we want to recognize as many patient leaders as possible.

Can I nominate myself?

Absolutely. We hope you’ll reach out to your community and ask them to nominate their favorite leaders of the online health space – and that includes you! You’re more than welcome to nominate yourself as part of the process as well. Be sure to pay it forward and take a moment and recognize any of the great leaders that help you on a daily basis as well.

How will I know if I am nominated?

Each nominee will be notified via email and social media (as applicable) and will be given the chance to complete/update their patient leader profile with additional information about themselves and their advocacy. Please note, that notifications can take 24-72 hours from the time of the nomination submission.

Why was I nominated?

Congratulations! Being nominated for the Social Health Awards means you’ve made an impact on someone’s health journey. This program is meant to celebrate those sharing their health experience in order to support and inspire others. Nominators have the option to include a nomination reason, which will be displayed on your public patient leader profile once you accept the nomination.

Endorsements:

June 27th -July 1st

This period provides a community-choice aspect of the program. Endorsements are a way to give nominees a visual show of support for a specific nomination, think of it as “liking” a post or photo on social media. For instance, if a nominee is nominated for Community Cultivator, and you believe they deserve this recognition, your endorsement is the perfect way to show your support.

The top three most-endorsed nominees in each of the 10 categories will automatically become finalists. However, it’s not the only way to become a finalist. Three additional finalists will be selected through numerous rounds of judging where endorsement count and community size are not considered.

🏆 Tip for Nominees: Grab Your Endorsement Badge | Once endorsements open on June 27th, navigate to the ‘Awards’ tab of your patient leader profile. Here you will be able to download images and badges to put on your sites to gain endorsements. We invite you to keep your badge up once endorsements are closed to proudly display your accomplishment.

I don’t have many followers. Can I still win?

Yes! It’s important to remember endorsement count isn’t the only way to win! Three finalists are determined through endorsement count, but an additional three finalists are selected through multiple rounds of judging, where endorsement count or follower size is not included.
judging panelists.

Can I still become a finalist if I do not get a high number of endorsements?

Yes. While the three nominees with the highest endorsement numbers in each category will automatically become finalists, the additional three finalists will be determined by our judging panelists through numerous additional factors aside from endorsements.

What happens when I endorse a nominee? Is it the same as voting?

Endorsements were created to give network members a chance to participate in the Social Health Awards. Think of it as a way to give a shout-out or virtual hug to your favorite Patient Leaders.

So, if you are nominated for an award, make sure you ask your friends, family, and community network to take a moment to endorse your efforts.

How do I endorse someone?

The best way to connect with other nominees is to visit our nominee directory. You’ll find any social media accounts they’ve included on their profile as well as more information on their story. Shoot them a message to collaborate! Please note, that endorsements are only open from June 27th -July 1st, 2022.

Can I endorse more than one person?

While you can only endorse a nominee once per award category they are nominated for, you can endorse as many people as you like. If you want to spread love and endorse others, feel free to do so.

Do likes/tweets count as endorsements?

First off, congratulations on your achievement! Sharing the news of your nomination and asking your community to endorse you is the best way to encourage others to support you. All nominees will receive a media kit to help share the news. In addition, making sure your patient leader profile is as complete as possible will encourage others to learn more about you. Plus, you’ll be better positioned to connect with the community and other inspiring patients. It’s a win-win!

Judging

July – August

Health Union hosts multiple rounds of judging, after all, we receive thousands of nominations! Judges will be using the information provided in the nominee’s patient leader profile to review and score.

Determining Finalists

There are six finalists in each award category. To ensure the integrity of the program, half of the finalists will be determined through endorsement count and half will be selected through the Health Union judging process. Finalists are selected in two ways:

Once the top six finalists in each Social Health Awards category have been selected, we’ll announce the finalists on the Health Union blog and then move into the final round of judging.

Selecting the Winners

Healthcare industry thought leaders and experts convene to review the six finalists in each category based on their use of social media, their fit for the award for which they’ve been nominated, and how effectively they engage their online community. Judges score individually, and then Health Union tallies these scores to identify the winners. The winners will be announced at the virtual Connexion event in August.

Note: A nominee’s community size (number of fans, followers, readers, members, etc.) will not be considered. The nominee is judged based on their content and fit for the award category.

🏆 Tip for Nominees: Update your patient leader profile. Having a completed profile allows judges to gain a comprehensive understanding of your mission.

I want to be a judge for the Social Health Awards. How can I do that?

If you’re interested in participating, visit the Social Health Network to volunteer your patient leader insights as a judge to help us determine the finalists.

Can judges be nominees or Social Health Award winners?

We do allow those who were nominated to participate in the network judging process. However, if a judge is nominated for a certain award, they are not allowed to judge that category.

How do you pick your judges?

We have many patient leaders, patients, caregivers, industry leaders, previous winners, finalists, and Social Health Network members who connect with us throughout the year. Many of them express interest in being involved with the Social Health Awards. The Health Union team compiles a list of those enthusiasts throughout the year and connects with each before our Social Health Awards season. We then ensure they are a fit and chat about the details, time commitment, and what is expected of the judges. Once they confirm they would like to officially participate, they are in.

How do you score the nominees? What criteria do judges use when selecting semi-finalists, finalists, and winners?

Judges score nominees on the following criteria:

Fit for the Award:

Use of Social Media:

Focus on sharing of information and overall engagement:

Celebration

August & October

This year, all Social Health Awards finalists will win access to the virtual Health Union event Connexion.

This annual patient leader conference brings together over 100 patient leaders from across the globe and from over 30 online communities to attend a week long event to advance their advocacy efforts. Past sessions have included social media advocacy, mindfulness meditation, gentle chair yoga, connecting with patient leaders, vulnerability and mental health with Tyler Campbell, and our keynote on resiliency in the midst of chronic burnout with Rebekah Taussig.

Winners will be announced on the last day of Connexion for a special patient leader celebration!

Winners will be invited to the Fierce Pharma Marketing Awards, an exclusive in-person award ceremony in Philadelphia, PA in October.

Health Union and FiercePharma are partnering to celebrate the Social Health Awards this year. This year’s winner prize pack includes:

Please note:

The 2022 Social Health Awards program is only open to US-based patient leaders due to the rapidly-evolving changes in global data privacy laws and regulations. We appreciate your patience as we diligently work on expanding our data privacy policy to support international users. We plan to celebrate global patient leaders next season.

The prize pack value is not transferable for cash or additional travel if participants are unable to attend.

The prize pack includes transportation and attendance for one individual aside from the Best Team category, which includes accommodations for up to two team members.

To be considered as a finalist and ultimately a winner, individuals must be 18 years of age or older. Nominees under the age of 18 can be recognized but will not be eligible to be a finalist.

COVID Precautions: It goes without saying, health and safety is our number one priority, especially when many of our participants are at risk for COVID. We will continue to invite all winners to attend an in-person celebration in Philadelphia at the FiercePharma event this October if they feel comfortable. FiercePharma is ensuring their event is a COVID-safe environment and recently announced those who attend must be vaccinated. You can learn more about their guidelines here. Of course, winners are not required to travel and are encouraged to do what’s best for them and their health.

Stay tuned for further details regarding this year’s celebration, opportunities, and prizes for winners. We encourage you to view all of the current Social Health Awards nominees in the nominee directory.

Click here to view the nominees.

Cheers to another season of celebrating patient leaders! More questions? Please feel free to refer to the Social Health Awards FAQ page.

Written by Grady Stewart

Grady is the Junior Associate for the Patient Leader Network team. He is passionate about supporting patients worldwide and raising awareness for the chronic illness community.

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