Nominations are now closed for the 2012 Doctors Nova Scotia Strive Award. Nomination information for the 2013 Strive Award will be available in November 2012.

Doctors Nova Scotia awards its annual Strive Award, a community health promotion award, during its annual conference in June.

The award, created by the association’s Board of Directors in 2010, was originally known as the Golden Apple. It's awarded annually to a community group making innovative and strategic decisions about promoting healthy lifestyle choices.

It’s important for the physicians of Nova Scotia to support the work being done to promote healthy lifestyles. Doctors know there are many community groups throughout the province working to make their communities healthier, and this award will recognize some of those groups.

The award recipient receives a $5,000 grant to spend on advancing health promotion initiatives, a plaque for their community, and a feature on doctorsNS.com and in doctorsNS, the official magazine of Doctors Nova Scotia.

Eligible award nominees are any community group in the province comprised of more than 75 per cent volunteers and whose work aligns with Doctors Nova Scotia’s priorities such as active transportation, healthy eating and smoking cessation to achieve a healthier community.

The community group must have a strategic plan for advancing the health promotion initiative in their community. The plan should contain measurable outcomes such as increased activity opportunities, evidence of advocacy and community support.

The community group can be involved in health promotion in a variety of ways, including but not limited to lobbying government for more health promotion opportunities by writing letters to elected officials, creating a petition, or starting a Facebook page. The group may also create and promote health promotion events in communities or provide expertise and advice to municipalities on effective health promotion strategies for their communities.

Eligibility requirements:

• Contact person for award submission – name, email and telephone number.
• Community organization’s name and address.
• Organization’s goal or mission statement.
• Brief description of the community group including the number of employees and volunteers
• A description of why the organization deserves to win the award, including what your group has already completed to advance health promotion in your community (no more than 750 words).
• A copy of the organization’s strategic plan.
• A description of the measurements and outcomes on projects and goals.
• A description of how the community organization would use the grant money if it won the award.