As senior living evolves for new generations of residents, dining is on the forefront of innovation. To recognize the leaders who are raising the bar on culinary excellence, we are proud to announce the inaugural DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards.
These awards honor individuals who are visionaries within their organizations and the senior living sector at-large. They spotlight culinary experts whose creativity and passion are transforming senior living dining - from menu creation and innovating the resident dining experience, to leveraging new technologies and implementing new operational models, and more.
Subscribe to the 2025 DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards to stay up-to-date.
AWARDS
The following categories are open to providers serving senior living organizations:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
IMPORTANT DATES
MARCH 2025
Nominations Open
MAY 31, 2025
Submissions Due
JUDGES
Subscribe to the 2025 DISHED Innovation Awards to stay up-to-date
© 2025 WTWH Healthcare
Marvell Adams, Jr.
Founder
W Lawson Company
Brenda Bacon
Founder
Brandywine Living
Deke Cateau
CEO
A.G. Rhodes
Jacquelyn Kung
Advisor
Activated Insights
Paul Kusserow
Chairman
Amedisys
Samir Malik
CEO & Co-Founder
firsthand
Jessica McGlory
Founder & CEO
Guaranteed
DEADLINES
SEPTEMBER 2024
Submissions open
NOVEMBER 2024
Submissions close
JANUARY 2025
Winners announced
The Prism Awards honor individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exemplary achievements in the areas of:
- -Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB): This award honors individuals who have championed DEIB in ways that have resulted in demonstrable progress within their companies and/or their respective industry
- -Environment Sustainability: The Green Guardian Award recognizes organizations that have made significant achievements in environmental sustainability
- -Social Stewardship: This award spotlights companies that have made significant achievements in social responsibility initiatives related to community engagement, such as philanthropic efforts or contributions made to the community through programs, partnerships and outreach
All entries are $500 USD through November 30, 2024. Payment method is by credit card only. Failure to pay the entry fee will prohibit consideration for the application to the Prism Awards program.
Submissions for the 2024 Prism Awards open September 5, 2024. Entries will be accepted until November 30, 2024 at 11:59pm CT. Winners will be announced January 15, 2025.
Yes. We will accept a maximum of four (4) nominations for individuals from a single organization. Once the limit is achieved, the Awards Program Manager will alert the organization that the maximum number of submissions has already been reached for the annual program.
The Prism Awards application process requires all the following components and responses as part of the submission:
- -Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Award (Recognizing individuals)
-Nominee and nominator’s name, title, company, and contact information -Current resume or CV (Word or PDF format) -Summary of achievements: Submit a 500-word or less statement that outlines the nominee’s role within the organization, including whether driving DEIB initiatives is explicitly a part of their responsibilities, and a summary of achievements as to how their efforts have positively influenced their teams, company, industry and/or community. Share metrics that illustrate the nominee’s impact. -Letters of support: Include at least two (2) letters or a maximum of four (4) letters of support (at least one (1) letter must be external to the nominee’s organization) that provides testimony about the nominee’s efforts and accomplishments related to DEIB. Supporting materials: These are optional and can include anything to help showcase the work that the nominee has accomplished in the realm of DEIB, including: websites, statistics, media coverage, research results, documents, photos, and/or videos. -
-Green Guardian Award (Company recognition of an initiative completed between January 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024)
-Company description: Provide company name, size, primary services delivered, headquarters and number of locations, and names, titles and contact information of those involved with the initiative. -Summary of achievements: Provide a description of how the organization has pursued environmental sustainability and what results those efforts have achieved. Share key metrics or other tangible evidence of the scope of those accomplishments. -Letters of support: Include at least two (2) or a maximum of four (4) letters of support from either individuals or organizations involved in or affected by the company’s sustainability initiatives. -Supporting materials: These are optional and can include anything to help showcase the work that the nominee has done in the realm of environmental sustainability, including: websites, statistics, media coverage, research results, documents, photos, and/or videos. -
-Social Stewardship Award (Company recognition of an initiative completed between January 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024)
-Company description: Provide company name, size, primary services delivered, headquarters and number of locations, and names, titles and contact information of those involved with the initiative. -Summary of achievements: Provide a description of how the organization has pursued social responsibility initiatives related to community engagement, such as involvement in philanthropic efforts or contributions made to the community through programs, partnerships and outreach. Describe what those efforts achieved. -Letters of support: Include at least two (2) or a maximum of four (4) letters of support from either individuals or organizations involved in or affected by the company’s social stewardship initiatives. -Supporting materials: These are optional and can include anything to help showcase the work that the nominee has done in the realm of social stewardship, including: websites, statistics, media coverage, research results, documents, photos and/or videos.
No. We encourage those working in either non-profit or public / governmental agencies to apply as well.
Yes, but we encourage submissions for individuals who may not have previously received other awards or accolades.
The following industries are eligible for the 2024 Prism Awards:
- -Behavioral Health
- -Complex Rehab Technology (CRT)
- -Home Health & Home Care
- -Home Medical Equipment (HME)
- -Hospice & Palliative Care
- -Memory Care
- -Senior Housing & Senior Living
- -Skilled Nursing
Yes. We accept submissions from those working at organizations outside of the United States.
WTWH Healthcare will complete an initial screening of applications, then a panel of independent judges will select the inaugural Prism Awards Class of 2024.
No. The evaluation process is confidential.
No. All submissions are confidential and submission data is not shared.
Members of the inaugural Class of 2024 will receive:
- -Recognition on each of the respective WTWH Healthcare verticals
- -Digital badge and social assets
- -Published article on the appropriate WTWH Healthcare vertical
Susan Ponder-Stansel
CEO
Alivia Care, Inc.
COMPETITION FAQs
When do the DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards take place?
Nominations open on Monday, March 3, 2025. All entries must be submitted by Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT.
Who is eligible to apply?
All nominees must be employed by a for-profit or nonprofit senior living provider and/or the vendor partners that support them.
What is the nomination process?
Individuals or an organization may nominate a person for the awards program via the online submission form. Below are key dates to note:
March 3, 2025 - Nomination window opens
May 31, 2025 - All submissions must be completed by 11:59pm Central Daylight Time (CDT)
How much does it cost to enter the inaugural DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards?
The entry fee is $500. All entries must be paid via credit card prior to the entry deadline of May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT in order to be considered for eligibility for consideration and judging. Entry fees are non-refundable.
What items do I need to submit for this awards program?
Below are the minimum requirements for the awards application process:
Complete the Entry Form with the following information:
- Nominator's name, organization, job title, email address and phone number
- Information on their work for recognition, including:
- A maximum 500-word written statement outlining the nominee’s qualifications that address the judging criteria for the program (PDF or Word document)
- Current resume or CV (PDF or Word document)
- Nominee’s headshot (Hi-resolution JPG or PNG file)
- Professional Letters of Recommendation
- Submit a minimum of two (2) letters of recommendation (one (1) internal letter of recommendation and one (1) external letter of recommendation) or up to a maximum of four (4) letters of recommendation (at least one (1) has to be an external letter of recommendation) outlining why the nominee excels in dining innovation based upon the criteria set forth for the competition.
- Nominators should include contact information (email, phone number) for a brief interview/verification.
What is the judging criteria for this program?
Innovation Impact: Describe the positive impacts of the changes spearheaded by the nominee, considering areas such as resident satisfaction and engagement, staff satisfaction and retention, operational efficiency and profitability, and public perception of senior living.
Leadership Qualities: Briefly describe the qualities of the nominee that provides examples of their innovative contributions to senior living dining and include specific examples that demonstrate their leadership acumen.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Describe the nominee’s ability to drive innovation in their organization, their initiative, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Ethics and Professionalism: Describe how the nominee has demonstrated exemplary ethics and professionalism.
What is the evaluation process?
All submissions will be evaluated by the WTWH Healthcare, a WTWH Media company, editorial staff. The editorial team may select up to forty (40) members from the submissions.
Selection of a DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Award winner is at the sole discretion of the editorial staff. The entries selected for the inaugural DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards class for each category will be announced on July 15, 2025.
Who do I contact with additional questions?
If you have any questions, please reach out to the WTWH Healthcare Awards Program Manager at [email protected].
Operational Optimizer:
Highlights operational trailblazers implementing new approaches and models to gain efficiencies, improve the bottom line, build stronger workforces and elevate overall operations, while maintaining and enhancing resident satisfaction
Culinary Canvas:
Recognizes leaders driving excellence in how dining programs are showcased across marketing channels, including imagery, video, social media, and other dining-related media content
Elevating the Experience:
Showcases innovators raising the bar on programming and service with the goal of boosting the senior living dining experience
Palate Pleaser:
Honors chefs and other food & beverage professionals for their innovations in menu creation, use of ingredients, and culinary techniques
The following category is open to third-party vendors serving senior living organizations:
Partner in Innovation:
Recognizes individuals serving senior living dining programs in a vendor capacity, through technology, equipment, ingredients, and more, with an emphasis on how their overall efforts have supported their clients’ ability to innovate
