Submissions

Nominate Covenant family employees, physicians and volunteers for an individual or team Mission Award by December 12, 2025.

This deadline is for both site nominations and for those with corporate or multi-site responsibilities.

Categories and criteria

When you nominate someone for a Mission Award, it will be in one of six categories of your choosing. Each category corresponds to one of our values and is defined by seven criteria. You will be asked to give examples of how your nominee lives this value based on three of these criteria. Adjudicators will also use these criteria to review each nomination.

Please review the criteria for each value and select the one that your nominee displays the most.

Nominees come from a variety of roles, services and departments. This variety shows how our mission is woven throughout the fabric of the organization.

  • We are better together. Collaboration exists when we work together to achieve a common goal. When we aren’t concerned with who gets the credit. When we consider diverse points of view in order to achieve the best outcome. Teams who have a strong sense of collaboration accomplish more, achieve higher quality results, have higher morale and come up with more unique ideas. Collaboration is key to our success and to our sense of fulfillment in our work.

    Criteria:

    1. Includes patients, residents and families as valued partners in the care experience.

    2. Honours diversity, including the capacity to engage diverse points of view. 

    3. Regularly gives credit to those who contribute.

    4. Communicates effectively to engage others and promote strong teams.

    5. Works with others to use resources efficiently and have a bigger impact by working together. 

    6. Brings groups together inside and outside Covenant.

    7. Shares experience and expertise in a way that empowers others to advance our mission 

  • Compassion is how we show empathy and caring in response to the needs of those we serve, those we work with and ourselves. It involves putting ourselves in another’s shoes and creatively considering how we can best meet them and lift them up. Every day we have opportunities to respond with compassion in small and big ways.

    Criteria:

    1. Keeps the people we serve at the center of all we do.

    2. Recognizes when others are hurting and responds with kindness.

    3. Shows the ability to be present for people in both joy and sorrow

    4. Listens carefully, shows empathy and communicates a sense of hope.

    5. Improves their knowledge and skills to be of greater service. 

    6. Recognizes when others are vulnerable and treats them with dignity and kindness.  

    7. Accepts others’ personal journey without bias or opinion. 

  • Integrity is displayed when we do what we say we will do and put into practice what we say is right. It is present when we take responsibility for our actions and are trustworthy. Integrity is especially evident during the difficult times when we are called upon to respond with a strong character; when we show courage and honesty to help create a safe environment for all.

    Criteria:

    1. Takes responsibility for their own words and actions without blaming others.

    2. Honors their commitments so others see them as honest and trustworthy.

    3. Responds to complaints promptly and respectfully and follows through with creative solutions.

    4. Challenges plans or practices that could be harmful and works with others to find better options.

    5. Practices self-awareness and self-care so they can consistently provide high quality service.

    6. Is willing to listen and speak out when needed to prevent or resolve ethical conflict.

    7. Discloses adverse events in an open, transparent and safe environment, or fosters a safe environment for others to do so.

  • We respect the dignity of every human being and create an environment where all feel valued. Respect is related to how we approach one another especially in situations where we may have different opinions. We show respect when we learn more about others and use that knowledge to provide care that best meets their needs.

    Criteria:

    1. Treats all people with respect.

    2. Respects confidentiality and privacy

    3. Seeks to resolve conflict by listening to understand the experience, beliefs and goals of those involved.

    4. Respects each person’s values, culture, choices and decisions while balancing the needs of others.

    5. Fosters a caring and understanding environment in which all members of the team feel valued.

    6. Learns more about the beliefs and values of others and uses the knowledge to provide better care.

    7. Adjusts care or service delivery to accommodate the individual needs of those being served.

  • We know that it isn’t enough to only focus on our situation in life, but we are called to speak out for the needs of others, especially those whose are under-served. We work together to build healthy and just communities and speak up for those who are left out. This happens when we learn more about each other and help those who are excluded be more involved in their care or society as a whole.

    Criteria:

    1. Works creatively to help marginalized individuals or groups participate more fully in their own care, teams or society as a whole.

    2. Welcomes those who may otherwise be excluded.

    3. Tries to learn about diverse people or communities and shares that knowledge with others.

    4. Speaks out courageously and consistently for those who cannot speak for themselves.

    5. Participates in activities that celebrate diversity and increase inclusion within Covenant.

    6. Advocates for programs that provide services to under-served people or communities.

    7. Works with others to build healthy, just communities inside and outside the Covenant family.

  • When we are good stewards, we use all our resources responsibly, acting with the future in mind. Our people, our finances, our environment and our reputation are all essential to continuing our mission. We must honour them and be creative to ensure we use all our resources wisely to decrease waste, increase effectiveness and build sustainability.

    Criteria:

    1. Uses time effectively to focus on and accomplish what is most important in their role.

    2. Practices and promotes personal or team wellness so that work is effective and fulfilling.

    3. Stays current with and models best practices within their profession.

    4. Models and promotes safe work practices to reduce injuries and sick time

    5. Seeks creative opportunities to increase efficiency and avoid waste

    6. Uses resources responsibly, guided by Covenant’s mission, values and strategic directions.

    7. Promotes environmental stewardship through recycling, energy conservation and other green initiatives.

Nomination process

After you review the nomination categories and criteria, you can submit a nomination form. Your form needs to be signed by both the nominee/team lead and nominator and include the required photos (review our photo guidelines) and consent forms. It will be automatically sent to your designated site champion.

If you intend to nominate someone that you have nominated in the past, we ask for there to be a break of at least two years between nominations.

Find out how to write a successful Mission Award nomination.

Adjudication process

After submission, nominations will go through a site or corporate committee review or adjudication process. Up to six nominations from each site or the corporate committee will go forward to Covenant Mission Awards.

The adjudication process used in the Covenant Mission Awards is rigorous and designed to be fair. A diverse panel of people from different roles within the organizations and past recipients of Mission Awards adjudicates the nominations. The panel judges nominations against the criteria for each category, not against a competitor. This means all nominations stand an equal chance to receive the award.

After adjudication

We’re excited to honour all of our incredible nominees and announce the 2026 Mission Awards recipients during a live online celebration event this coming April (date to be confirmed).

Ready to submit a nomination?