Submit Your Entries to the 2026 eHealthcare Leadership Awards
Your work is done. Now it’s time to step back, capture why your efforts matter, and bring your strongest work forward for the recognition it deserves.
// By Susan Dubuque //
The 2026 eHealthcare Leadership Awards Call for Entries is officially open!
In its 27th year, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards celebrate excellence in healthcare digital marketing, recognizing standout websites, videos, campaigns, and other digital initiatives that drive marketing and business success across the healthcare industry.
Each year, the awards program attracts around 1,000 entries from hospitals and health systems, senior care organizations, medical practices, pharmaceutical companies, and other health-related organizations. View the complete list of organization classifications here.
The eHealthcare Leadership Awards are presented by Plain-English Health Care, publishers of eHealthcare Strategy & Trends and Strategic Health Care Marketing.
New Categories to Showcase Your Work
As digital marketing continues to evolve, eHealthcare Leadership Award categories are updated to reflect current industry trends and to allow healthcare marketing professionals to showcase their most up-to-date and innovative work.
This year’s award show has a total of 30 categories, including these two new categories:
- Best Online Healthcare Community. This category recognizes digital communities that bring people together around shared health experiences, needs, or goals across websites, apps, social platforms, and other channels. Winning entries will demonstrate meaningful connection, credible information, and a safe, inclusive environment. Judges will consider strategy, moderation and governance, accessibility, engagement, user experience, privacy practices, and measurable impact.
- Best Answer Engine Optimization. This category recognizes healthcare organizations preparing content for an answer-driven search landscape, where users expect direct, trustworthy responses across search engines, AI tools, voice assistants, and chatbots. Winning entries will show a clear strategy to make information easier to find, understand, and act on through efforts such as structured content, schema, FAQs, and AI-generated answer optimization. Judges will look for strong strategy, execution, content quality, accuracy, accessibility, compliance, and measurable impact, honoring organizations that deliver clear, credible answers when and where they’re needed.
Here is a complete list of the 2026 awards categories:
- Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment
- Best Online Healthcare Community NEW!
- Best Answer Engine Optimization NEW!
- Best Annual or Special Report
- Best Children’s Health Marketing Campaign
- Best Digital Internal Communications, including Intranet
- Best Digital Marketing Campaign
- Best Digital Marketing ROI and Outcomes
- Best Email Content
- Best Healthcare Content
- Best Healthcare Podcast
- Best Integrated Marketing Campaign
- Best Interactive and Rich Media
- Best Internet Home Page
- Best Landing Page or Microsite
- Best Mobile Experience (Mobile App or Website)
- Best Online Reputation Management
- Best Overall Digital Patient Experience
- Best Overall Website
- Best Physician Relations and Referral Marketing
- Best Population Health, Prevention, or Chronic Disease Management
- Best Provider Directory
- Best Search Engine Marketing Campaign
- Best Site Design
- Best Social Media
- Best Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Marketing
- Best Use of Data and Targeted Marketing in Healthcare
- Best Video Content – 2 Minutes or Less
- Best Video Content – Over 2 Minutes
- Best Video Series
Each submission allows you to highlight your best work and be recognized as a leader and innovator in your field. You are permitted to enter an item or project in more than one category. Learn about all the award categories here.
The deadline for submitting entries is June 26, 2026.
Need a little inspiration? Check out highlights of the 2025 eHealthcare Leadership Awards.
Be Part of the Awards Community
There are many opportunities for you to participate in the eHealthcare Leadership Awards community:
- Submit your finest work. Entering the eHealthcare Leadership Awards is a meaningful way to celebrate your team’s accomplishments from the past year and earn the recognition your efforts deserve. See the full range of recognition winners receive here.
- Join us for the awards celebration. The 2026 eHealthcare Leadership Awards will be announced and celebrated on October 25 at a special event during HCIC in Orlando.
- Volunteer to be a judge. As a member of our distinguished panel of judges, you have an insider’s view of the award-winning work from across the country. Learn about the many benefits of judging, including a discount on HCIC registration.
- Be a sponsor. Platinum, Gold, and Category sponsorships are available. (Contact us for more information on sponsorships.)
Digital initiatives are reshaping how care is delivered and experienced. The eHealthcare Leadership Awards offer an opportunity to showcase your best work and earn recognition from peers across the industry.
We hope to see you at HCIC in Orlando in October!
To enter, volunteer to judge, or learn more about the 2026 awards, visit the official site of the eHealthcare Leadership Awards.
And don’t forget: the deadline for entries is June 26, 2026.
Susan Dubuque is a strategist and writer specializing in healthcare and behavior change. She serves on the editorial advisory board of Strategic Health Care Marketing and cochairs the 2026 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.