Advocacy Trailblazer celebrates the patients and caregivers who, despite managing a health condition, manage to push the limits and pave a new path for others on how to educate, raise awareness, and support their fellow community. These are the people bringing innovation to advocacy.

The Best Team category recognizes a team or group that uses their efforts, such as through running online group chats, nonprofit organizations, or caregiver-patient duo, to take activism to new heights. This award celebrates those bringing a team effort to their advocacy!

Not all Patient Leaders share their patient journey. The Caregiving Champion category is for caregivers who tirelessly raise awareness to better the lives of loved ones. Though they may not be sick, they are the caregivers of children, siblings, parents, significant others, or friends, with an up-close-and-personal perspective that is invaluable.

A diagnosis can be life-changing, but fortunately, so can the support from an online community. The Community Cultivator category celebrates the online communities or forums that create an inviting space for newcomers while maintaining a safe place. Whether through online support groups, live events, or forum discussions, these leaders have mastered managing, moderating, and engaging their communities all to support others.

There are so many opportunities for patient advocacy. The Creative Contributor category recognizes the people taking a creative approach to raising awareness. Think about Patient Leaders transforming their advocacy into clothing, cards, jewelry shops, comic creation, and more! This category celebrates those bringing advocacy to the marketplace.

The Healthcare Collaborator category is for advocates who bridge the gaps between industry stakeholders and healthcare consumers. Whether speaking at conferences, consulting with healthcare companies, or using their experience to help change the healthcare industry, these Patient Leaders are impacting the healthcare landscape.

Some Patient Leaders are true stars who continue to shine and don't fit into just one category. The Lifetime Achievement Award is for Patient Leaders who, after years of advocacy achievements, serve as role models for the entire online health community. Let's recognize the advocacy leaders who inspire all of us year after year!

The Revolutionary Researcher category aims to celebrate the patients and caregivers who refuse to let medical jargon and data slow them down! The winner of this category stays up-to-date on the latest research, treatments, and clinical trials. This winner has a knack for transforming complex information into layman's terms for the greater community.

As anyone in advocacy knows, communities aren't built overnight! Sharing your story and impacting a community takes time and patience, so let's encourage those recently empowered as Patient Leaders. The Rookie of the Year category celebrates the advocates who may be new to the scene but continue to show the utmost potential. This category is typically for Patient Leaders with 1 to 3 years of experience.

Whether posting to Instagram, hosting Facebook Lives, uploading YouTube videos, or stitching the latest TikTok trend, the Social Media Master category recognizes the patients and caregivers leveraging social platforms for advocacy. This person shares their story and fosters community through one or many social channels. With so many in-app social features, we seek to celebrate all the creative ways Health Leaders use social media to impact their condition areas!