AHA Rural Innovation Award

Apply Now for the AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award

The new AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award seeks to recognize and share the accomplishments of rural hospitals that exemplify responsiveness, innovation and excellence in developing, implementing and/or sustaining programs and services.

Winning organizations should be improving programs, care redesign, collaboration or technology solutions to address emerging challenges in rural, remote and frontier areas of the United States and territories.

One winner and up to three finalists will be selected for the AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award. The award will be presented at the 2026 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, Feb. 8 – 11, in San Antonio.

Applications are due noon, Central Time, Aug. 29, 2025. Preview the 2026 Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award application.

Contact ruralaward@aha.org with questions.

2026 Award Sponsor

The AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award is generously sponsored by Microsoft.