IHF Awards is a annual industry award recognizing excellence in Healthcare. Organized by International Hospital Federation, it covers the Global region. Established in 2015.
The IHF Awards are the global recognition program of the International Hospital Federation, the Geneva-headquartered federation of hospital and healthcare associations. Established in 2015 at the initiative of then-president Dr Kwang Tae Kim, the program recognizes excellent projects, programmes and initiatives in hospitals and health service providers worldwide. Entries are evaluated by an IHF Awards Committee composed of experienced global healthcare leaders using standardized criteria, and from an initial 105 entries across 19 countries the program has grown into the hospital sector's most visible international honor.
The 2026 edition features eight categories, headlined by the Dr Kwang Tae Kim Grand Hospital Award, which requires excellence across five dimensions of healthcare delivery: quality and safety, patient experience, cost efficiency, workforce wellbeing, and health equity and access. Sponsored categories cover clinical quality and patient safety, healthcare workers' wellbeing, operational excellence, leadership and management, low-carbon healthcare, social and environmental responsibility, and hospital sustainability acceleration. Winners are announced at the Awards Gala Dinner of the IHF World Hospital Congress (Seoul in October 2026), giving winning hospitals peer recognition in front of health system leaders from dozens of countries.
Eligibility is restricted to hospitals and healthcare service providers — government, public or private — that are current IHF members; consultancy companies and vendors cannot enter. All entries must be in English and require endorsement from the organization's CEO, President or Chairperson. The typical cycle sees nominations open early in the year and close in late April, finalists announced in early July, and winners revealed at the Congress in the autumn. Strong entries document measurable, sustained improvement with data across the relevant award dimensions rather than describing aspirations — and joining the IHF well before the entry window is a practical prerequisite.