PSN Opens Applications for 2026 Pharmacy Awards, Offers Up to ₦1.5m in Prizes

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has invited eligible pharmacists to apply or nominate colleagues for three professional awards for the 2026 edition, with the awards recognising innovation, leadership, professional competence, service and contributions to the advancement of pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

The awards are the Biogenerics Community Pharmacist Excellence Award 2026, the Biogenerics Hospital Pharmacists’ Integrity Award 2026, and the May & Baker Professional Service Award 2026.

The calls for applications were contained in separate notices issued by the PSN National Secretariat on September 16 and 17, 2026, and addressed to community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and pharmacists generally.

Three awards target different areas of pharmacy practice

The Biogenerics Community Pharmacist Excellence Award is designed to recognise community pharmacists demonstrating ethical practice, mentorship, innovation and contributions to the objectives of the PSN.

The award carries a ₦500,000 cash prize and a plaque, with the presentation scheduled for the PSN 99th Annual National Conference, tagged IJELE 2026, in Anambra State.

The Biogenerics Hospital Pharmacists’ Integrity Award, meanwhile, targets hospital pharmacists and carries a ₦1 million prize and plaque. The award will also be presented at the PSN 99th Annual National Conference in Anambra State.

The May & Baker Professional Service Award 2026 carries the highest monetary prize among the three awards, at ₦1.5 million, together with a passage allowance to enable the winner to attend the PSN National Conference in Awka, Anambra State.

Innovation, leadership and professional contribution central to assessment

Across the award categories, applicants are expected to demonstrate more than routine professional experience.

The PSN notices identify innovative work, leadership, career achievements, academic and professional qualifications, professional competence, and community or charitable service among the areas applicants should address.

For the community and hospital pharmacist awards, the selection criteria further include the delivery of safe and effective pharmaceutical care, improvements in the quality and clinical effectiveness of pharmaceutical services, leadership contributions, research and evidence generation, and high-quality teaching and training.

The May & Baker award similarly asks applicants to demonstrate innovative initiatives that have advanced pharmacy practice, alongside leadership, achievements, qualifications, professional competence and service to communities or charitable organisations.

Applicants must provide evidence of their claims

The award process places emphasis on documented evidence rather than claims alone.

The general PSN 2026 awards biodata form requires applicants to provide information covering their academic and professional qualifications, leadership positions, achievements, innovations, professional and academic performance, post-qualification experience, professional achievements, activities outside pharmacy and identifiable philanthropic projects.

The application package also requires a one-page statement explaining why the applicant should receive the award, supporting documents and letters from referees. The general awards form specifies three referees who must be Fellows of the PSN.

For the Biogenerics awards, applicants must submit the relevant application form, a statement of not more than one A4 page, curriculum vitae, supporting evidence and three referee letters, including one from a working relationship, with all three referees required to be PSN Fellows.

The May & Baker award has similar documentation requirements and cautions applicants that irrelevant documents will not be reviewed and may result in loss of points. Applicants may also be required to appear before the award selection committee to clarify claims made in their submissions.

October 9 deadline set for submissions

The deadline for applications for all three awards is October 9, 2026.

For the Biogenerics Community Pharmacist Excellence Award, applications and supporting documents are to be emailed to psn1927@psnnational.org, with nationalsecretary@psnnational.org copied. The required subject line is “BIOGENERICS COMMUNITY PHARMACIST EXCELLENCE AWARD APPLICATION 2026.”

The same submission addresses apply to the Biogenerics Hospital Pharmacists’ Integrity Award, with the subject line “BIOGENERICS HOSPITAL PHARMACIST INTEGRITY AWARD APPLICATION 2026.”

For the May & Baker Professional Service Award, submissions should be sent to the same email addresses with the subject heading “Names-May and Baker Award 2026”.

The Biogenerics notices also advise candidates to apply for only one company-sponsored award.

What the awards mean for the profession

Taken together, the three awards create recognition pathways for pharmacists working across different areas of practice, while placing emphasis on measurable professional contributions, innovation, leadership, service and the quality of pharmaceutical care.

The application requirements also make clear that candidates are expected to substantiate their professional records with evidence, rather than relying solely on descriptions of their achievements.

With the October 9, 2026 deadline, eligible pharmacists and those nominating colleagues will need to compile their applications, supporting documentation and referee letters ahead of the submission date.

Pharmacy Times Nigeria will continue to follow developments around the 2026 PSN awards and the profession's recognition of pharmacists contributing to pharmacy practice in Nigeria.