CHIA Recognition Awards

CHIA has a long and cherished tradition of honoring the excellence, dedication, and service of those professionals whose steadfast efforts have enriched the HIM field and/or have contributed to the professional development of others. The CHIA Recognition Awards are California-based in scope, recognizing those who make a difference in the HIM profession. CHIA developed the Recognition Awards as part of its commitment to encourage, nurture and celebrate exceptional volunteer and professional leadership. The CHIA Recognition Awards honor exemplary service, reward contributions that build the HIM knowledge base, recognize excellence in preparing future HIM professionals, and encourage new talent and leadership.

Take a look at past CHIA Recognition Awards Recipients who make a world of difference in the HIM profession.

For questions, email Nominations@CaliforniaHIA.org

Learn more about the Recognition Award Categories and full criteria details for each.

  • Distinguished Member Award
  • Educator Award
  • HIM Industry Champion Award
  • Literary Award
  • Mentor Award
  • Rising Star Award
  • Volunteer Award

Nomination Process

Nominations must be submitted by the annual March 1 deadline and must include:

  1. Complete CHIA Recognition Awards Nomination Form - This form can be completed in multiple sittings, with the progress saved to enable users to return and edit responses.
  2. Resume/CV
  3. Two to four letters of support from someone who can elaborate on:
    a. Nominee’s specific accomplishment(s);
    b. How Nominee has met the guidelines for the award (based on the award category criteria); and
    c. Why Nominee is worthy of an award.

Nomination Guidelines

  1. Nominees for all awards must be CHIA members (Active, Student, Emeritus, Honorary) or Corporate Partners, with the exception of the HIM Industry Champion award which may be presented to an organization, group or individual who does not meet these criteria. Nominees may be retired members.
  2. Individuals who have previously won a particular award are not eligible to win that award again, even if it has been reformatted. They may, however, be nominated for a different award.
  3. The nominator is responsible for ensuring that all required documentation is collected for the nominee. Missing material does not automatically remove a nominee from consideration, although incomplete submissions may adversely impact the committee’s ability to adequately and fully evaluate a nominee.
  4. All supporting documentation must have relevance to specific criteria requirements. The volume of material submitted is not important. Documentation should support what the nominee accomplished and specifically why the nominee is deserving of an award.
  5. The CHIA Awards & Scholarship Committee may give a nominee an award in a category for which s/he was not nominated so long as the nominee meets the criteria for the award given. In this case, the Awards Committee will notify the nominator that such action was taken.
  6. Nominees not selected will automatically be included for consideration in the first year following their original nomination. If not selected for an award in that next year, a new nomination will be required for the nominee to be considered for any award in any following year.
  7. All nomination materials become the property of CHIA. Materials cannot be returned.
  8. CHIA Awards & Scholarship Committee Members and the CHIA President are ineligible for awards during their term of office. CHIA Board of Directors members, except the CHIA President, are eligible for awards during their term of service. CHIA staff members are eligible for awards during their term of employment.

Selection & Notification Process

The CHIA Awards and Scholarship Committee will review all eligible nominations and evaluate based on the materials provided with the nomination and the award category criteria.

CHIA will notify each nominee if he/she was selected to receive the a CHIA Recognition Award in April. Award presentations and distributions are made at the annual CHIA Convention & Exhibit in June. Award recipients are encouraged to be present to receive their award, but recipients may designate an individual to accept the award on their behalf.