The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) is accepting nominations for the 2026 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, an annual recognition honoring individuals or groups that have contributed to improving public health approaches to children’s vision and eye health in the United States.
The nomination period is open through July 25 at 12 noon EDT.
Established in 2014 by the NCCVEH Advisory Committee, the award commemorates Dr. Bonnie Strickland, whose work helped establish a comprehensive system for children’s vision care in the United States. Strickland previously served as director of the division of services for children with special health needs within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau before retiring in 2014.
The 2026 award will be presented during a virtual event scheduled for September 11 at 10 AM EDT. The recipient will receive a commemorative plaque and recognition during the event, as well as an opportunity to deliver a 30-minute presentation. A summary of the recipient’s accomplishments will also be featured on the NCCVEH website.
Eligible nominees include individuals and multidisciplinary groups representing stakeholders such as families and caregivers, community leaders, public health professionals, health care and eyecare providers, and educators. Nominees should demonstrate measurable impact in supporting children’s vision and eye health, including stakeholder collaboration, training and education, public awareness, service delivery, surveillance and accountability, reduction of vision health disparities, infrastructure development, and initiatives connecting vision health with overall health, early childhood development, and learning.
The 2025 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award was presented to Eye Thrive for its Wraparound Vision Services program. Previous recipients have included the Alcon Children’s Vision Center; 2024 #EBGameChanger Danielle Crull, ABOM, author and founder of several vision-related community initiatives; and Donny W. Suh, MD, FAAP, MBA, FACS, chief of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California, Irvine.
Additional information about the award and nomination process is available here. OM