The National EMS Awards of Excellence

EMS World and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) proudly present the National EMS Awards of Excellence. EMS World and NAEMT established the National EMS Awards of Excellence program to recognize outstanding achievement in the field. This esteemed program has become the gold standard of accomplishment in the EMS profession.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 EMS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE ARE NOW CLOSED.  WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST 2024.

The 2024 awards will be presented at EMS World Expo in Las Vegas, Sept. 9-13, 2024. Each award recipient receives $1,000 in cash, three core program registrations, and $1,200 for travel and lodging at the EMS World Expo/NAEMT Annual Meeting.

How to Submit

The EMS Awards of Excellence are a joint program between EMS World and NAEMT, and the submissions are split between the two organizations.

To nominate an individual for the EMT of the Year Award, Paramedic of the Year Award, EMS Educator of the Year Award, Medical Director of the Year Award, Military Medic of the Year Award, Community Paramedic of the Year Award, and Pediatric EMS Award, please click here.

To nominate an agency for the EMS Volunteer Service of the Year, EMS Career Service of the Year, or Wellness and Resilience Award, or to nominate an individual for the First Responder Caring Award or the Safety in EMS Award, please read on for award criteria and submit using the fields below and be sure to include the name of the specific award in the last field.

We would like to thank the sponsors of this year's awards: Bound Tree; Digitech; Demers Braun Crestline Medix; Jones & Bartlett; NAMIHP; North American Rescue; Ferno; FirstNet Built with AT&T; Technimount; Handtevy-Pediatric Emergency Standards; Velico Medical; and Dynarex.

The EMS Volunteer Service of the Year Award honors EMS departments that have demonstrated a commitment to:

• Recruiting and retaining skilled volunteer EMS providers
• Devising funding programs to maintain operating expenses
• Keeping front-line staff trained on the latest medical interventions
• Using QA/QI metrics to drive meaningful improvements in operations and patient care

The EMS Career Service of the Year Award honors EMS departments that have demonstrated a commitment to:

• Offering community education and outreach programs to improve the health of their communities and raise awareness of EMS
• Providing career advancement and leadership training for staff
• Participating in research initiatives
• Using QA/QI metrics to drive meaningful improvements in operations and patient care

The First Responder Caring Award honors EMS providers who have demonstrated a commitment to:

• Going above and beyond the call of duty in providing care to their communities
• Embodying the spirit of caring, compassion, teamwork, bravery and service in their jobs and in their daily lives
• Offering mentorship, education and guidance to an aspiring student or individual interested in EMS
• Training peers on current clinical and operational techniques

The Wellness and Resilience Award recognizes an EMS agency or advocate that tangibly demonstrates the attributes of an EMS agency culture of wellness and resilience by:

• Proactively providing wellness and/or resiliency programs for staff
• Supporting good physical and mental health among providers
• Incorporating SOPs that provide for peer or professional debriefing after a critical incident
• Empowering employees to identify and participate in solutions to agency challenges

The Safety in EMS Award recognizes an EMS agency or advocate that has significantly contributed to advancing EMS practitioner and/or patient safety by:

• Developing and implementing improvements and corrections, when immediately identified, to their agency’s safety program
• Actively advocating for patient and practitioner safety with their agency
• Actively educating their community on safety, and injury and illness prevention
• Providing outstanding safety training for its EMS personnel