2026 Award Application

GENERAL INFORMATION

Application submission deadline: March 6, 2026
Award winners and applicants notified: April 15, 2026 

Winners will recieve:
A wall hanging plaque to commemorate this award
A $300 award to support you in your continued success
Listing as an award winner on the NI DPG Website and social media shout outs
Award winners honored at FNCE 2026 NI DPG member reception

Applicants and nominees must be a current active member of the Nutrition Informatics DPG.

For more information about the awards, please visit the NI DPG Website

If you have additional questions, please email us at: nutritioninformatics@eatright.org

Innovator Award

Description
The Nutrition Informatics Dietetic Practice Group (NI DPG) Innovator Award recognizes forward-thinking trailblazers harnessing the power of informatics at the intersection of nutrition, information, and technology. The award aims to recognize an NI DPG member that leads a cutting-edge initiative or repurposes existing technology to address a specific challenge. These initiatives are generalizable and scalable and demonstrate impactful outcomes to advance the practice of nutrition and dietetics informatics.

Applications
Strong applications will consider the description of the award within the questions asked below. There are some questions with additional points to consider to strengthen your responses. Ultimately, we want to really understand your work, your leadership, your impact, and your innovation.

We suggest you read all of the questions before you begin answering.

Please also consider the following:

• Describe the problem you sought to address and why this work was necessary and important.
• Describe the impact of the problem, such as how many people, departments, sites, etc. the problem effects.
• Is this problem very specific to your workflow, department, institution, etc.?
• Is this a problem that others who work in a similar field may face?

Please also consider the following:

• Describe your role at each phase as applicable from initiation, development, implementation, or outcomes.
• Did you lead the team, participate on a team, and/or bring your expertise to a multidisciplinary team, etc.?
• Were you in a position to make decisions that would affect the overall direction of the work?

Please also consider the following:

• Describe any metrics or data you used to determine the outcome of this work.
• Discuss whether the work is generalizable to other settings such as other areas within your scope of influence, by other nutrition informatics professionals, or others.
• If you weren't able to show an improvement, did you learn things that informed or will inform subsequent work?
• Is the solution sustainable, or in other words, will the work continue beyond your involvement? What steps did you take to ensure this?

Please also consider the following:

• If you have not shared yet, do you have plans to?
• What impact would you like to see from sharing your work with others?
• Who may benefit from learning about your work?

Ambassador Award

Description
The Ambassador Award recognizes a member of the Nutrition Informatics Dietetic Practice Group (NI DPG) who exemplifies outstanding commitment to advancing the field of nutrition informatics. This award honors an individual whose sustained contributions and influential presence have significantly elevated the visibility, credibility, and integration of nutrition and dietetics informatics. Whether through public speaking, mentorship, writing, teaching, or collaboration across healthcare teams, this individual amplifies the voice of nutrition informatics and broadens its impact.

Applications
Strong applications will consider the description of the award within the questions asked below. There are some questions with additional points to consider to strengthen your responses. Ultimately, we want to really understand your work, your leadership, your impact, and your creativity.

We suggest you read all of the questions before you begin answering.

The following question relates to your experiences representing the field of Nutrition Informatics. Please describe your experiences within each modality including:

• Multi-disciplinary collaboration
• Public speaking
• Writing and Publishing (this includes peer-reviewed journals, professional newsletters, professional organization outlets, magazines, newspapers, etc. Social Media and independent websites/blogs are covered in subsequent questions)
• Providing education

We recognize that applicants may have differing levels of experience across these modalities. Applicants are encouraged to share any relevant experiences they have, regardless of size or setting, and to provide at least one example (or more) where possible for each of these 4 areas.

Please also consider the following for all modalities:

• Briefly describe your audience and their potential level of exposure to the field of nutrition informatics.
• Briefly describe the reach of the effort (local, regional, etc.)
• Do you think any of this stands out from what already exists? What makes this a creative or innovative way to reach people?
• Are you able to identify any measurable outcomes that resulted from your efforts? Have you seen or experienced any changes as a result of your efforts?

The following question relates to your experiences in both formal and informal settings. Formal settings may include professional organizations, whether dietetics specific or not. Informal settings may include websites or blogs, social media presence, or other outlets outside a professional structure.

This may include directly promoting awareness of nutrition informatics as a career pathway. Also consider promotion of work embracing the role of the dietitian in the use of data and technology in daily dietetics practice, such as patient care, data-informed decision making, workflow improvement, use of nutrition and meal management systems, etc.

We recognize that experience may vary in each setting (formal & informal). Applicants are encouraged to share any relevant experiences they have, regardless of size, and to provide at least one example (or more) where possible for each setting.

Please also consider the following for both settings:

• Briefly describe your audience, their potential level of exposure to the field of nutrition informatics, and the reach of the effort (local, regional, etc.)
• Do you think any of this stands out from what already exists? What makes this a creative or innovative way to reach people?
• Describe your role within the initiative. Did you intitiate this effort or did you engage with an existing effort?
• Are you able to identify any measurable outcomes that resulted from your efforts? Have you seen or experienced any changes as a result of your efforts?
• Is the work sustainable, or in other words, will the work continue beyond your involvement? Or, if you have left your role, has the work sustained? What steps did you take to ensure this?