NatCon25 and Mental Health First Aid Summit Call for Presentations and Award Nominations

Submission deadline: September 16, 2024
Acceptance notification: November 25, 2024

NatCon25 and Mental Health First Aid Summit Call for Presentations 

Proposals are being accepted for the following formats: MHFA Summit breakout presentations, workshop presentations, TED-style talks, Ignite sessions, and digital poster presentations. You will be asked to specify your desired session format during the submittal process.

• MHFA Summit Presentations: MHFA Summit Presentations (Sunday, May 4) are for MHFA Instructors and Coordinators. They can focus on cultural awareness, funding initiatives, sharing inspirational stories from peers and public figures, or reaching new audiences in your community. The National Council will combine individual presentation proposals and presenters around relevant topics as appropriate.
• Workshop Presentations: Workshop presentations last for 60 minutes, including Q&A. They are dynamic and have a scope beyond individual programs. Workshops focus on emerging trends, creative concepts and new solutions that benefit the field and shape the future. Workshops may have one presenter, multiple presenters or be formulated as a panel. No more than four presenters are permitted, and the National Council may combine individual presentation proposals and presenters around relevant topics.
• TED-style Talks and Ignite Sessions: TED-style talks are short, powerful, focused on riveting topics and last approximately 18 minutes. Ignite sessions last exactly five minutes with 20 auto-advancing, highly visual slides. Both types of talks allow presenters to share their passions in dynamic and memorable ways. Think beyond your work and our field for stories that will excite and inspire audiences. We are looking for outside-the-box thinking.
• Digital Poster Presentations: Digital poster presentations are interactive displays of innovative practices and game-changing programs that can include the latest in research and data. These digital posters may be viewed throughout the Conference on touchscreens in the Exhibit Hall. On Monday and Tuesday, one to two authors per poster are scheduled to present their information and answer questions about their posters for 30 minutes.

2025 National Council Awards of Excellence

Nominations are being accepted for the Lifetime Achievement and the Peer Specialist of the Year Awards.

• Lifetime Achievement: This award recognizes an individual whose tireless efforts, far-reaching impact and commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable Americans living with mental illnesses and addictions are unmatched.
• Peer Specialist of the Year: This award recognizes an individual with lived experience who works in a health care organization and uses his or her strengths to help peers on their road to recovery.

2025 Mental Health First Aid Impact Awards

Nominations are being accepted for the following awards: Organization of the Year, Instructor of the Year and Coordinator of the Year.

• Organization of the Year: This award recognizes an organization with certified Adult, Youth or teen MHFA Instructors who are implementing creative solutions to expand MHFA within their organization and externally.
• Instructor of the Year: This award recognizes individual Adult, Youth, teen and Community-specific course MHFA Instructors who are changing the conversation around mental wellbeing through the courses they teach and the relationships built to offer MHFA.
• Coordinator of the Year: This award recognizes an individual Adult, Youth or teen MHFA Coordinator who is driving change in their organization and community through innovations to support Instructors and to effectively provide MHFA courses in their area by expanding their Instructors’ reach and fostering good community relationships by offering MHFA.