The Royal College of Nursing in Wales will be holding its inaugral annual RCN Wales Nurse of the Year Awards in the prestigious City Hall, which stands in the heart of Cardiff and is the centrepiece of one of the world's finest civic centres.

The high-profile ceremony will highlight the value of nursing and honour best practice within the nursing community. It is a unique opportunity for individuals and teams to be identified for their outstanding achievements and to promote best practice and share important innovations within nursing. The event will showcase how valuable the nursing contribution is within health care and demonstrate that nurses contribute positively to patient care. All qualified nurses and midwives registered to practice in Wales, pre-registration nursing students and health care support workers can enter the awards.

Finalists will be invited to a black tie dinner and award ceremony on Wednesday 28 November 2012. A well-known Welsh personality will host the event.

There are nine categories, each with a winner and runner up. In addition to the prestige associated with the event, category winners will receive an award and the overall winner will receive the accolade of RCN in Wales Nurse of the Year and a superb award.

Nominations are now open for the awards. The closing date for nominations is 20 July 2012. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the website.