Our application and judging process is designed to ensure that the strongest applications are selected as winners, representing excellence in quality improvement (QI).
This year, in each category we will award a winner, second place and third place, as well as several commended entries.
Who assesses applications
Each award category will be judged by a carefully selected panel to ensure diversity, independence and integrity. The panels will consist of individuals from a range of settings and organisations who have expertise in advancing quality of care.
How applications are assessed
Your application will undergo a three-step evaluation process designed to recognise the very best in QI.
Here’s how it works:
- Initial review: the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement team will screen all applications to ensure they meet the submission criteria and showcase a commitment to QI.
- Detailed evaluation: all members of the relevant judging panel will independently assess applications that progress and give a score according to the quality and impact of the work. Find out more about what we’re looking for.
- Final judging: in the final stage, the panel will come together in a session to review the top-scoring applications and to reach consensus on winning applications.
The application form
Applications will be made via a digital form on our website. The following sections will be asked – you may wish to copy these into a document to help draft your application before submitting.
- A short summary of your project (up to 100 words)
- What was the focus of your QI project and why was it chosen? (up to 250 words). You may wish to include: The problem your project addresses, why this problem is important (e.g. impact, frequency) and why your team was well placed to address it.
- How did you identify the specific issues to address and what would “better” look like? (up to 250 words). You may wish to include: Evidence used (e.g. guidelines, research, local data), insights from practice (e.g. meetings, observations, feedback), baseline data or current performance and what improvement you planned to achieve.
- How did you aim to do this? (up to 150 words). You may wish to include: A SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) aim, and for the antimicrobial stewardship category, how the practice applied the plan, prevent, protect framework.
- How did you implement and evaluate the changes? (up to 250 words). You may wish to include: Key actions taken to introduce change(s), how data was collected and recorded, and how you assessed impact (including unintended effects).
- What was the overall impact of your project and what did you learn? (up to 500 words). You may wish to include: Evidence of outcomes (e.g. data, feedback, trends), what happened as a result of your findings (e.g. adopted, adapted, abandoned), sustaining the changes or next steps and key learning and reflections.
- A list of references used to inform your QI project.
You may wish to upload figures, graphs or tables at the end of the application form (maximum of three), but please ensure you describe the changes you have seen.
Winning applications
We have four award levels per category:
- champion
- second place
- third place
- commended.
Champion award
The champion award is the pinnacle of recognition in the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards, celebrating the very best in QI within the veterinary profession. This prestigious award recognises the highest level of commitment to driving improvement that leads to better patient outcomes, veterinary teamwork, service delivery or antimicrobial stewardship.
Champion award-winning practices will be awarded plaques, certificates and badges for their teams – proudly displaying your team’s success. The winning practices will also receive an invitation for your practice representative to attend an award ceremony.
As a champion, your practice will be a role model, inspiring others to strive for excellence.
A representative from champion practices will be invited to share experiences and learnings from the project through case examples, podcasts and interviews. The practice or organisation may also be invited to take part in further promotional opportunities, such as presenting at conferences and publishing their findings in a journal such as Veterinary Evidence.
Second and third place awards
The second and third place awards are a prestigious recognition for practices or organisations that have demonstrated exceptional QI. These awards celebrate teams that are dedicated to driving continuous improvement in veterinary care.
A certificate for your practice and badges for your team will be awarded, providing tangible recognition of your achievements.
Commended award
The commended award gives special recognition to your practice’s efforts and dedication to improvement and encourages you to continue your journey in robust QI projects.
A certificate will be awarded for your practice, providing tangible recognition of your achievements.
Timeline
Submissions will be open from 6 July 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Award winners will be announced in June 2027.
Award terms and conditions
You can find the award terms and conditions here.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the awards, please contact us at awards@rcvsknowledge.org
Apply for an award
