The 2026New York Festivals Health Awards, awarding excellence in Healthcare & Wellness and Pharmaceutical advertising, are open for entries. 

The 2026 competition launches with the appointment of two respected industry leaders selected to lead the 2026 Executive Jury.  Rich Levy, chief creative officer at Klick Health, will head the Health & Wellness Executive Jury; Jason Graff, global chief creative officer at VML Health, will lead the Pharma Executive Jury. They will oversee the executive jury panels in evaluating the shortlist, curated by the online shortlist jury, to select this year’s most exceptional work.

NYF Health has also introduced three new category groups this year – Strategy & Effectiveness, Human Lens: The Lived Experience, and HI: Healthy Intelligence.

“NYF Health is proud to welcome Rich Levy and Jason Graff, two of the industry’s most creatively influential leaders, to chair this year’s Executive Juries. Their leadership, together with our 2026 theme, Rewarding Those Who See Health Differently, and the introduction of bold new category groups, reflects our commitment to recognizing the ideas, creativity, and innovation shaping the future of health communications,” stated Jennifer Vizina, executive director, NYF Health Awards.

Find everything you need to know to enter here.

Executive jury chairs:

Rich Levy leads one of the most ambitious creative organisations in healthcare. Under his creative leadership, Klick was named 2026 Cannes Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year, Healthcare Network of the Year, and Independent Agency of the Year – Health at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

A longtime believer in doing things differently, Levy has built his career around challenging conventions, raising creative standards, and proving that healthcare work can be as bold, human, and culturally relevant as any category in the world. His leadership has helped Klick Health earn global recognition for breakthrough ideas that connect creativity, science, and purpose. He was named the #1 CCO in The Drum Global Rankings 2025 and is a DTC Hall of Fame inductee. In 2025, Klick Health became the first healthcare agency ever named Independent Agency of the Year at The One Show and Agency of the Year at the New York Festivals.

Levy developed his creative flair at mainstream agencies such as Dentsu, Saatchi & Saatchi and McCann Erickson. His 2004 Can You Hear Me Now? campaign for Verizon Wireless earned a place in New York City’s Advertising Walk of Fame.

“New York has always been the place where so many of the world’s boldest ideas come to life. It’s the perfect place to recognise health and wellness work that’s not only creatively exceptional but also capable of improving lives and shaping a healthier future,” Levy commented.

Jason Graff is one of the industry’s most awarded creative leaders. Known for championing bold, purpose-driven work, he has helped create campaigns that inspire change and make a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

Prior to joining VML Health, he spent nearly a decade at AREA 23, helping to shape some of healthcare’s most celebrated and impactful work. Recognised for his ability to combine creative excellence with meaningful purpose, Jason has earned global acclaim for campaigns that challenge conventions and improve lives. Jason has been ranked #1 Executive Creative Director in the world by The One Club, and the #2 ECD in the world by The Drum while amassing an incredible number of awards by top-tier advertising competitions. 

Before focusing on healthcare, Jason held creative leadership roles at Publicis and Kaplan Thaler Group, working across consumer and healthcare brands. His Sisterhood of Motherhood campaign for Similac sparked a global conversation about acceptance and support among parents, reinforcing his belief in the power of creativity to drive meaningful change.

“Seeing health differently means refusing to accept that our category has different creative limits than any other. The constraints are real, but they’re also where the most inventive ideas are born. I want to see work that finds new ways to inspire, educate, and connect. Work that reaches people in places and ways we haven’t imagined before. The ideas that make you forget you’re looking at health communications and simply recognize exceptional creativity. Because health is ultimately about people, and there is no greater story to tell,” Jason Graff commented.

Three new category groups:

Strategy & Effectiveness recognises breakthrough creative problem-solving powered by strategy, insight, and data.

Human Lens: The Lived Experience honours work rooted in authentic patient, caregiver, and community experiences. Human Lens: The Lived Experience celebrates storytelling that gives voice to real lives, challenges stereotypes, and fosters empathy, understanding, and connection.

HI: Healthy Intelligence applauds AI and emerging technologies that are transforming healthcare, wellbeing, and medicine, from public health and emotional intelligence to diagnostics, discovery, and delivery.

The 2026 Health & Wellness and Pharma Executive Jury sessions will take place in November 2026 in New York City.

The official Early Bird deadline to enter the 2026 NYF Health Awards is August 19. Find more information on the competition, including rules, categories, and entry details here.