Fresh category groups introduced for 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.”— Jennifer Vizina, Executive Director, NYF Health Awards.NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 New York Festivals Health Awards, which honor outstanding achievement in Healthcare & Wellness and Pharmaceutical advertising. The competition is open for submissions.
This year's contest kicks off with the naming of two respected industry figures chosen to oversee the 2026 Executive Jury. Leading the Health & Wellness Executive Jury is creative powerhouse Rich Levy, Chief Creative Officer at Klick Health. Jason Graff, Global Chief Creative Officer at VML Health and one of healthcare's most decorated creatives, will guide the Pharma Executive Jury.
"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," said Jennifer Vizina, Executive Director, NYF Health Awards.
These two prominent industry figures will guide the Executive Jury panels as they assess the Shortlist—compiled by the online Shortlist Jury—to determine this year's most outstanding work. Together, they will honor creative brilliance, strategic originality, and campaigns that produce meaningful results across health and wellness communications.
2026 Executive Jury Chair / Health & Wellness
Rich Levy serves as Chief Creative Officer at Klick Health, steering one of healthcare's most ambitious creative organizations. During his creative leadership, Klick earned recognition as 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 long-time advocate for unconventional approaches, Rich has constructed his career around defying norms, elevating creative benchmarks, and demonstrating that healthcare work can be as daring, human, and culturally significant as any category worldwide. His guidance has helped Klick Health achieve global acclaim for groundbreaking ideas that merge creativity, science, and purpose.
Rich was ranked #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 to be named Independent Agency of the Year at The One Show and Agency of the Year at the New York Festivals.
Before entering healthcare, Rich built a notable career in consumer advertising. In 2004, his legendary “Can You Hear Me Now?” campaign for Verizon Wireless earned a spot 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 recognize health and wellness work that's not only creatively exceptional but also capable of improving lives and shaping a healthier future." – Rich Levy, Chief Creative Officer at Klick Health
2026 Executive Jury Chair / Pharma
Jason Graff holds the position of Global Chief Creative Officer at VML Health and ranks among the industry's most decorated creative leaders. Recognized for championing bold, purpose-driven initiatives, he has contributed to campaigns that drive change and create lasting effects on people's lives.
Before joining VML Health, he devoted nearly a decade at AREA 23, where he helped craft some of healthcare's most acclaimed and impactful work. Acknowledged for his talent in merging creative distinction with meaningful purpose, Jason has garnered worldwide recognition for campaigns that defy norms and enhance lives. Jason has been ranked #1 Executive Creative Director globally by The One Club and #2 ECD worldwide by The Drum, while accumulating a remarkable number of awards from top-tier advertising competitions.
Prior to concentrating on healthcare, Jason held creative leadership roles at Publicis and Kaplan Thaler Group, working across both consumer and healthcare brands. His widely praised "Sisterhood of Motherhood" campaign for Similac ignited a global dialogue about acceptance and support among parents, reinforcing his conviction in creativity's power to drive meaningful change. Today, he continues to advocate for bold ideas that elevate health and wellness communications while guiding the next generation of creative talent.
“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 is Global Chief Creative Officer at VML Health
2026 Competition Updates
Aligned with this year's theme, “Rewarding Those Who See Health Differently,” the 2026 NYF Health Awards celebrates the daring concepts, new viewpoints, and inventive thinking that are reshaping health and wellness communications.
In response to the shifting terrain of healthcare and pharma advertising, NYF Health has launched three new category groups: Strategy & Effectiveness, Human Lens: The Lived Experience, and HI: Healthy Intelligence. These categories recognize work that produces measurable results, elevates genuine human experiences, and leverages technology to build a healthier tomorrow.
Strategy & Effectiveness
Acknowledges groundbreaking creative problem-solving fueled by strategy, insight, and data. This new category within NYF Health honors work that shows measurable impact and the effective fusion of creative execution with strategic thinking.
Human Lens: The Lived Experience
Celebrates work grounded in authentic patient, caregiver, and community experiences. Human Lens: The Lived Experience honors storytelling that gives voice to real lives, confronts stereotypes, and cultivates empathy, understanding, and connection.
HI: Healthy Intelligence
Spotlights AI and emerging technologies that are transforming healthcare, wellbeing, and medicine—spanning public health and emotional intelligence to diagnostics, discovery, and delivery.
The 2026 Health & Wellness and Pharma Executive Jury sessions are scheduled for November 2026 in New York City.
The official Early Bird deadline for entering the 2026 NYF Health Awards is August 19. For additional details about the competition, including rules, categories, and submission instructions, visit: HERE.
About New York Festivals:
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Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.
Gayle Seminara Mandel
New York Festivals
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