Awards
College Award nominations are open until 6.00pm on Thursday 2 April 2026.
The awards recognise the hard work and dedication of exceptional general practitioners and rural hospital doctors.
View the College Awards Committee Terms of Reference for more information.
If you have questions, please email awards@rnzcgp.org.nz.
You can submit nominations for these categories:
College nominated awards
If you’d like to nominate a colleague for one of the categories below, you don’t need to select a specific category. The awards committee will determine which award each nominee is best suited for.
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Distinguished Fellowship
Awarded for outstanding service to the College or Division’s work, or the science or practice of medicine. Distinguished Fellows embody our motto 'cum scientia caritas' – with knowledge, compassion,’ and have made sustained contributions to general practice, medicine, or the health and wellbeing of the community. Note: To become a Distinguished Fellow, the nominee must have been a Fellow for at least five years. Distinguished Fellowship may be awarded posthumously.
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President's Service Medal
Recognises an outstanding contribution to the College or Division. For example: as a Faculty or Chapter committee member, medical educator, or long-standing employee.
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Community Service Medal
Recognises members who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice or rural hospital medicine through work in their own communities.
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Honorary Fellowship
Awarded to individuals of distinction who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice or the medical profession in general. These people do not need to be graduates of medicine.
Equity Award
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Equity Award - nomination required
The Equity Award acknowledges the efforts of one or more College members who consistently and exceptionally demonstrate leadership and commitment to advancing health equity in general practice, primary care or rural hospital medicine, particularly for Māori and other equity priority groups in the population of Aotearoa. It honours demonstrated, measurable and sustained action that improves equity in primary care health access, experience and outcomes.
Rural nominated award
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James Reid Award - nomination required
For a rural medical practitioner or trainee (doctors and other medical professionals) who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in education or rural health research.
Memorial categories
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Eric Elder Medal - nomination required
The Eric Elder Medal is awarded in honour of Dr Eric Elder, who was an inspirational rural GP affectionately known as the grandfather of vocational training in New Zealand. The medal is generally awarded to a rural general practitioner.
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Amjad Hamid Medal
The Amjad Hamid Medal is awarded in honour of Dr Amjad Hamid who was killed in the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack. The medal recognises the top student of the University of Otago's GENA 728 paper, which is Cardiorespiratory Medicine in Rural Hospitals. Dr Hamid, a heart doctor, was a member of the College’s Division of Rural Hospital Medicine.
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Humphrey Rainey Medal
The Humphrey Rainey Prize for Excellence is awarded to the top candidate overall across the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) clinical and written examination.
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Peter Anyon Medal
The Peter Anyon Memorial Address is given by a GPEP2 registrar at the College’s annual conference. The presentation is given in memory of Dr Peter Anyon, who is recognised as having made an important and valuable contribution to the vocational education of general practitioners.
