PEN Awards

The Picker Experience Network Awards are the first and only awards programme to recognise best practice in patient experience across all facets of health and social care in the UK and beyond. They celebrate projects, teams, individuals, and initiatives that have made exceptional contributions to care, engagement, service delivery, and wellbeing from the perspective of patients, carers, families, and staff. 

We are delighted to announce our key dates for the 2026 Picker Experience Network Awards Programme:

• Weds 18^th March – All submissions open
• Sun 28^th June – Submissions Close
• Weds 29^th July – Shortlisted Finalists Announced
• Thursday 1^st Oct – Live Event in Birmingham

Entry prices for the Awards have remained unchanged since before 2019. Throughout this period, we have been deliberate in ensuring the Awards remain accessible to a wide range of organisations, individuals and NHS Trusts, reflecting the importance of recognising excellence across the whole system.

In response to rising operational costs, including venue, staffing and production, we have made a modest adjustment to pricing for 2026. This enables us to continue delivering a high-quality, credible and impactful Awards experience that reflects the significance of the work being recognised.

At the heart of the Awards remains a clear purpose, to celebrate, share and scale what works in person centred care, and to bring together a community committed to improving experiences for patients, families and staff.

We remain committed to ensuring the Awards continue to recognise and amplify the very best in experience-led care, while remaining inclusive, credible and grounded in real impact.

Awards Pricing 2026

First Award Entry
£249 + VAT (includes 1 x live event place)

Additional Award Entry
£199 + VAT (includes 1 x live event place)

Additional Event Place (for entrants)
£249 + VAT

Additional Event Place (for non-entrants)
£299 + VAT

Loyalty Pricing for 2025 Entrants

We recognise the ongoing commitment of organisations who return year on year to share their work and contribute to the wider learning community.

For organisations that submitted an entry in 2025, we are maintaining 2025 pricing as a loyalty offer.

First Award Entry
£199 + VAT (includes 1 x live event place)

Additional Award Entry
£169 + VAT (includes 1 x live event place)

Additional Event Place (for entrants)
£199 + VAT

The atmosphere at the University of Birmingham on Thursday 2nd October 2025 was one of pride and celebration, as healthcare leaders, innovators, and patient experience champions gathered for the Picker Experience Network Awards (PEN Awards). The venue brimmed with conversation, as health and social care colleagues from across the UK and around the world came together to celebrate the very best in patient experience. Against this backdrop of inspiration, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust with their project ‘Seasons of Life’ was announced as the overall winner of the Picker Experience Network Awards 2025.

Ruth Evans, Founder and former Managing Director of PEN, said: 

“Congratulations to Southern Health and Social Care Trust on this fantastic achievement. The Awards are always a special occasion and today highlighted exactly why they matter. They demonstrate what is possible when care is centred around people – their needs, their voices, and their preferences. Since Picker acquired PEN, we’ve been committed to growing this platform so that person centred care can be celebrated and shared globally. This year’s winner inspired us all.”

Click here to see all the Winners, Runner’s Up and Finalists from the Picker Experience Network Awards 2025.