Impact Award

Award Definition: Recognizes OTR and COTA practitioners who have made exceptional, client-centered contributions, demonstrating dedication, hard work, and outstanding occupational therapy skills to improve their clients' life satisfaction and engagement in meaningful occupations.

Eligibility Requirements

• Current NBCOT certification in good standing is required for the award nominee
• Practitioner's impact must be directly related to a recipient of OT services
• Strong connection to the NBCOT mission must be demonstrated

Geographic Scope

• Not limited to United States; international work is eligible

Award Benefits

• Award recognition
• Featured spotlight in NBCOT publications and social media
• Press release to share the news
• Free certification renewal for the next renewal cycle

Contact Information

• Mailing Address: One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
• Phone: 1-301-990-7979
• Email: info@nbcot.org
• Website: https://www.nbcot.org/awards/impact-award

Application Status

The application submission window is currently closed. Decisions are announced in mid-summer.

How to Apply

1. Access the award application platform and create an account
   • You can also log in using your Google username and password
2. Complete the award application
3. Attach the following required documents:
   • Two written impact statements (e.g., testimonial from a client/family member/colleague)
   • At least one impact statement must be a first-person account from the client or the client's family/caregiver
   • Nominee's résumé (required only if self-nominating)
4. Submit the application

Note: Self-nomination or nomination by others is accepted.

Application Questions

Detailed description of how the nominee has made a positive impact through everyday OT practice to improve clients' life satisfaction and engagement in meaningful occupations:

• This question is separate from the impact statement attachments; make sure the response is distinct and not copy/pasted from the impact statements
• The OTR's or COTA's impact can be related to one client or many but should be significant and meaningful
• Emphasize the OTR's or COTA's work in addition to their personality and positive attributes

Describe how the nominee demonstrates exceptional OT skills:

• Highlight information about the OTR or COTA that goes beyond standard employee behavior
• Examples of their dedication, hard work, and outstanding OT skills might include: commitment to learning and continuing education, involvement with OT-related volunteerism or community endeavors, etc.

Describe how the nominee supports the mission of NBCOT:

• Make a strong connection between the OTR's or COTA's work and NBCOT's mission

Impact Statements

Impact statements should:

• Directly relate to the award definition
• Provide specific and compelling examples about the client's life satisfaction and engagement in occupation as a result of the OTR's or COTA's work
• Be from a client, a client's family member or caregiver, or a colleague
• Can be submitted in any form but limited to two uploads; combine multiple statements into one file if needed

Submission Tips

• Develop thoughtful responses; avoid rushing
• Stay on track and always connect responses back to the question
• Avoid simply restating questions in your own words
• Include details and examples where indicated
• Avoid broad or vague language
• Keep responses clear and simple to understand
• Be objective about the work
• Consider working with the nominee (if nominating someone else) for a more detailed and well-rounded application
• The application platform saves your work as you go; you can enter and exit multiple times
• Use the "Collaborator" feature to invite others to view and/or edit your application
• Complete time: less than 30 minutes (if materials are prepared in advance)