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RCN Awards: celebrating our 2025 winners
As RCN Congress begins, we appoint seven new Fellows and five Honorary Fellows, announce six Award of Merit recipients and recognise our Representative, Student Ambassador and Forum Achievement award winners
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At the opening ceremony of RCN Congress 2025 in Liverpool, we celebrated 30 individuals who’ve made a significant impact on the nursing profession. Nominated by their nursing peers for their unwavering dedication, pioneering work and outstanding contributions, the awards commend those shaping the future of nursing.
RCN President Bejoy Sebastian captured the essence of the ceremony in his opening speech, highlighting that the awards are “an opportunity to celebrate the brilliance of our members and the tireless work you do for our profession”.
The RCN Fellowship recognises innovative individuals who’ve made an exceptional commitment to advancing the science and practice of nursing, and the improvement of health and patient care. This year, RCN Fellowships were awarded to Professor Judith Ellis OBE, Professor Diana Greenfield, Kumbi Kariwo, Dr Felicia Kwaku OBE, Professor Juliet MacArthur, Wendy Olayiwola BEM and Professor John Unsworth OBE.
Above: our newly appointed RCN Fellows
Dr Felicia Kwaku OBE is a renowned leader and advocate who, in addition to being awarded an RCN Fellowship this year, also received the Chief Nursing Officer’s Gold award in 2024 and has notably contributed to advancing nursing education and research.
Professor Judith Ellis OBE is known for her commitment to global health, which has led her to recently designing and delivering degree-level nursing education in conflict zones. She has also played a significant role in developing nursing leadership initiatives in low and middle-income countries.
Meanwhile Kumbi Kariwo, an experienced learning disabilities nurse, has made remarkable strides in improving wound care for patients with darker skin tones and educating health care professionals on culturally sensitive assessment and treatment methods.
Honorary Fellowships were also bestowed on five influential nursing figures including Linda Silas – President of the 250,000-strong Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions – who delivered a keynote speech on nurse-to-patient ratios at RCN Congress 2024.
Above: Linda Silas receiving her RCN Honorary Fellowship
Each year we honour active members from across the UK who’ve gone above and beyond with the Award of Merit, the highest honour the RCN can give for voluntary service to the College. Our 2025 winners are: Jim Blair, Tracie Culpitt, Kevin H. Morley, Anne Penny, Matthew Stewart and Sheilabye Sobrany.
The RCN Student Ambassador of the Year Award is open to student ambassadors who are making an impact at their university, such as by recruiting and supporting RCN student members, organising events and campaigning. This year’s award was taken home by Jenna Green, who was nominated for her passionate advocacy for fellow learning disability students and her active engagement in RCN Scottish Government influencing activity on student finance.
The Representative of the Year awards are presented to our reps who’re making a difference in their workplace and have shown outstanding commitment to the RCN and its members. This year, Steward of the Year was awarded to Ian Graham, Health and Safety Representative of the Year went to Matthew Hull and Learning Representative of the Year to Jia Amanda.
Image above: celebrating some of our 2025 representatives of the year
Our Forum Achievement awards celebrate members' outstanding contributions to the RCN's professional forums. This year’s winners were Mohamad Ibrahim from the Cancer Forum (Forum Member of the Year) and Sarah Jackson from the Learning Disability Forum (Forum Committee Member of the Year).
Reflecting on the role nursing staff have in leading change and innovation in health care, Bejoy added: “I trust in the power of the collective strength of nursing and truly believe that together we can make the profession more valued and respected”.
