It's here....!

Nominations are now open!

West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance has launched the Innovation Through Collaboration awards 2026 - and nominations are now open across a total of seven award categories. 

All the awards will focus on patient-centred care, with an expectation that nominations will describe the difference being made to the patient experience in the West Yorkshire and Harrogate area by the individual, team or project being put forward.

Anyone submitting a nomination will also be required to outline how the nominated projects and individuals have reflected the Cancer Alliance values - more specifically 'be courageous', 'be honest' and 'be kind'. More information here

The first three awards will honour innovation projects demonstrating excellence by individuals and teams supporting people affected by cancer across the following West Yorkshire and Harrogate sector-specific categories:

• Most Impactful Innovation Project in primary care - the 'front door' of the NHS, the first point of contact for patients, providing accessible, general healthcare services to prevent, diagnose and treat common conditions
• Most Impactful Innovation Project in secondary care - usually referring to specialised medical services provided by expers usually upon referral from a primary care provider, often in hospitals or specialist clinics 
• Most Impactful Innovation Project involving voluntary and community groups, and social enterprises (known as the VCSE sector) - a  range of organisations including small grassroots charities, faith-based organisations, social enterprises and community-based groups. They play a vital role in supporting statutory health and social care agencies to improve health outcomes; provide tailored services; advocating for patients and supporting patient engagement.

The fourth category will recognise the exceptional achievement of a team or service delivering the Most Impactful Pan-system Innovation Project (prevention, diagnosis or care-related) for the population of West Yorkshire and Harrogate.

Two further individual awards will recognise the work of a Clinical Champion and a Non Clinical Champion in a direct care or non-clinical role, leading or contributing to a cancer-focused innovation (prevention, diagnosis or care-related) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate population. 

A special category - the Paul Vose Award - will recognise someone who has demonstrated compassion and a commitment to ensuring the voice of the patient is heard and is an integral part of the development and transformation of cancer care and services in our area.

The award is named in honour of Paul Vose (pictured centre left), one of the original lay members of the Cancer Alliance Board, who passed away in May 2025. Paul - who was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in his early 50s - was also a former member of the National Cancer Patient and Public Voices Forum;  Treasurer of the charity, Yorkshire Cancer Community; a member of the Cancer Alliance patient panel; a Cancer SMART champion, and held a number of other patient advocacy positions in West Yorkshire. 

The shortlist for this award will be compiled by Jayne Vose, Paul's widow; Dr Stewart Manning, Chair of charity Yorkshire Cancer Community, and Jason Pawluk, Cancer Alliance Managing Director, rather than through an open call for nominations. 

The eighth and final award will be for the Most Impactful Poster from those to be displayed at the 2026 Cancer Alliance conference - Innovation Through Collaboration : Shaping the future of cancer care (2nd June), where all the winners and runners-up will be announced during a special awards ceremony and presentation*

Posters will be judged on both content and presentation, including accessibility and impact. 

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Christine Talbot - TV presenter, journalist and podcaster - who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and has since become an advocate for cancer patients, sharing her experiences to encourage early detection and to support those undergoing treatment. 

Closing date for nominations is Friday 10th April 2026, and shortlisted entries are expected to be notified week commencing 27th April 2026.

Please note – details of the specific process to be followed for the Best Poster award, and the associated timeline, is provided on the online form via the relevant link below.

WY&H Cancer Alliance - Celebrating Innovation through Collaboration Awards 2026 – Fill in form

WY&H Cancer Alliance – Poster Submission Form – Fill in form

For further information/queries relating to the awards, email: 

wyh-ca.conferencescheduling@nhs.net

* Nb Delegate numbers are limited and the conference - which celebrates innovation in cancer care across West Yorkshire and Harrogate - is by invitation only.