Recognize Someone with an NCOTA Award
Know someone who deserves to be recognized for their hard work? Each year, NCOTA recognizes individuals who demonstrate advocacy, leadership, excellence, and dedication in advancing the field of occupational therapy.
NCOTA Award & recognition
Award recipients are celebrated at the NCOTA Annual Fall Conference.
Nomination Deadline: June 30, 2026
Expresses the appreciation of the NCOTA for significant contributions to the advancement of occupational therapy in North Carolina during the preceding year.
Eligibility
- Nominees may be individuals or groups.
- This award is open to non-members (non-OT/OTA) and to members.
- This award is noncompetitive.
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria:
- The candidate has provided time, knowledge, or expertise to support occupational therapy practice in the state and/or NCOTA.
- The candidate has provided time, knowledge, or expertise to support the mission of NCOTA.
Purpose
Recognizes an individual for practice excellence in the following categories:
- Children and Youth
- Education
- Research
- Gerontology
- Home Health
- Mental Health
- Physical Disabilities
- Technology
Eligibility
- OT or OTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
A candidate should demonstrate advanced practice beyond entry-level, as evidenced by the following.
- Exhibits advanced practice knowledge
- Complete or participate in the following activities (not limited to); board certification, advanced clinical specialization certificate, clinical research, publications, or presentations that foster interest and skill development in advanced forms of clinical practice.
- Demonstrate significant contributions to occupational therapy clinical practice with some of the following (but not limited to) innovation, quality improvement, research, education, consultation, advocacy, leadership, administration, communication, or service to NCOTA.
- Leadership in their area of expertise
Purpose
To recognize an OTP (OT or OTA) for demonstration of innovative leadership and serving as a change agent for the occupational therapy profession.
Eligibility
- OT or OTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Effects change related to profession or populations/groups served by the profession
- Exhibits leadership skills
Purpose
To recognize an OTP who has shown great dedication to diversity and inclusion efforts within the OT profession.
Eligibility
- OT or OTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Advocacy led to change in social systems (education, healthcare, political), directly impacting members of historically oppressed groups.
- Advocacy raised awareness of injustice regarding race/ethnicity, disability, sexuality and gender minority, socioeconomic status, or any other historically marginalized groups to promote a more equitable and inclusive society.
Purpose
This award recognizes an occupational therapy practitioner (clinician, educator, or researcher) who has demonstrated emerging leadership and/or extraordinary service early in their occupational therapy career and whose efforts and leadership skills have contributed to moving the profession forward.
Eligibility
- OT or OTA in the first 5 years of practice
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Effects change at a systems level, enhancing occupational therapy practice and/or service to our clients.
- Demonstrates leadership qualities of mentorship, community organization, and/or education.
- Contributes to NCOTA or other occupational therapy organizations.
Purpose
Recognizes an OTP for demonstrating leadership through advocacy pursuits, taking an active role in the legislative process, and going above and beyond to enhance the profession of occupational therapy.
Eligibility
- OTR or COTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Advocates for change that positively impact the profession of occupational therapy, whether through the legislative process or other systems-level regulatory bodies.
Purpose
Recognizes outstanding achievement in the practice of occupational therapy and NCOTA. This award is presented to an individual once and is not necessarily awarded yearly.
Eligibility
- OTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- Has never before received the award
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
The candidate should make significant contributions in clinical practice, research, and/or public relations.
Purpose
Recognizes the significant contributions to the NCOTA given by a student member. A candidate should demonstrate leadership and excellence in academic and clinical performance. An award will be given to an Occupational Therapy student and an Occupational Therapy Assistant student.
Eligibility
- Student in an OT or OTA program
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Significantly contributes to NCOTA as a student.
- The candidate should demonstrate leadership and excellence in academic or research settings.
Purpose
Recognizes an outstanding clinical fieldwork educator or clinical fieldwork coordinator/ supervisor. This award may be presented to one individual yearly.
Eligibility
- OTR fieldwork coordinator or supervisor
- NCOTA member in good standing
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Supports OT/OTA education
- Have favorable evaluations from students who completed their fieldwork experiences with the fieldwork educator.
- Participation in continuing education related to supervision, teaching, and evaluation of learning or mentoring.
- Recognizes the uniqueness of each student and adapts their supervisory style accordingly.
- Engage actively in evaluating their effectiveness as a supervisor in the fieldwork program.
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline.
- Demonstrates abilities to mentor and educate students
The Suzanne C. Scullin Memorial Award is awarded only when an individual is identified who meets the high standards and accomplishments the award recognizes. It is the highest award presented by NCOTA.
The members who have received this award have all made broad and lasting contributions to occupational therapy and to the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association.
About Suzanne C. Scullin
The Suzanne C. Scullin Memorial Award was established to honor a legacy of dedication, skill, and genuine care in the field of occupational therapy. Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1945, Suzanne earned her degree at The Ohio State University. She began her career as a psychiatric occupational therapist at Upham Hall within the OSU Medical Center, where she first demonstrated her commitment to patient care.
In 1970, Suzanne joined the Department of Psychiatric Occupational Therapy at NC Memorial Hospital. She quickly stood out for her excellent treatment skills and became an energetic contributor to the growth and development of the hospital’s programs. Recognizing a need in the community, Suzanne expanded her focus to pediatric occupational therapy in 1974, dedicating her talents to building a highly successful outpatient program for children.
Though her promising career was cut short by a tragic automobile accident in June 1976, her impact on the profession endured. She was survived by her husband and child. It was her degree of professional integrity and sound clinical competence which is commended and perpetuated through recognition of our colleagues in Suzanne’s honor and memory.
Eligibility
- OT or OTA
- NCOTA member in good standing
- Has never before received the award
- A completed nomination form must be received by the NCOTA deadline
Criteria
- Supports growth of OT within North Carolina
- Demonstrates leadership in the profession
- Contributes to OT practice in North Carolina
- Contributes to NCOTA
NCOTA Awards: Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
NCOTA Awards are given annually and are typically presented to recipients during the Annual NCOTA Fall Conference.
The call for NCOTA Annual Award nominations is communicated to the membership at least three (3) months prior to the Fall Conference.
Not all awards are given each year. And just because an award receives a nomination, does not mean an award will be given. Some awards can only have one winner, while others may have multiple.
Nominations and Submissions
Nomination forms are hosted directly on the NCOTA website during the open submission period.
If you need to submit additional material that cannot be submitted on the nomination form, please email to office@ncota.org.
Submissions are scored using a standardized rubric based on the quality of evidence provided.
Be sure that your nomination includes specific evidence of achievements and contributions relevant to the award. The strongest nominees have numerous accomplishments in the designated award aware.
To eliminate bias, the Awards chair presents completely masked versions of all incoming nominations to the subcommittee for review and scoring.
Yes. If the subcommittee reviews a submission and determines that a nominee is a better fit for a different award category, the committee may shift the category by a majority vote.
The Awards Subcomittee consists of at least 3 NCOTA members.
If you would like to serve on the NCOTA Awards Committee, please email ncotaawards@gmail.com.
Yes! Self-nominations are welcome. To ensure absolute fairness and eliminate bias, the Awards Chair removes all identifying information and presents completely masked versions of every nomination form to the subcommittee for review and scoring
Eligibility Requirements
With the exception of the non-competitive Award of Appreciation, all award recipients must be NCOTA members.
The Award of Appreciation is open to both NCOTA members and non-members (including individuals or groups outside of the OT/OTA profession) who have provided significant time, knowledge, or expertise to support the mission of NCOTA and OT practice in North Carolina.
Yes. Please see the eligibility criteria mentioned under each award.
Notifications and Celebrations
Yes. Nominators will be formally notified by the committee regarding whether or not their nominee was selected to receive an award.
As NCOTA’s highest honor for wide-ranging, lasting contributions to the profession, recipients of the Scullin Award are honored at the annual conference ceremony where they receive an award plaque as well as a Life Membership to NCOTA.
The nominators or the NCOTA Awards committee will notify recipients about their award prior to the conference.
Winners are officially celebrated at the Annual NCOTA Fall Conference, announced on the NCOTA website, and highlighted via social media posts.
If a recipient cannot attend the conference, the committee will contact them directly.