TORG Global CSSD Best Practice Essay Competition 2026

Advancing Knowledge and Excellence in Sterile Processing

The Operating Room Global Centre for Education, Research & Innovation is pleased to announce the CSSD Best Practice Essay Competition 2026, an international initiative designed to promote professional engagement, knowledge sharing, and innovation among Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD) professionals.

CSSD teams play a critical role in ensuring safe surgical care through effective instrument decontamination, sterilisation, and sterile supply management. This competition aims to highlight the important contributions of CSSD professionals while encouraging early-career practitioners to share ideas, experiences, and best practices that support patient safety.

Healthcare professionals from all regions of the world are encouraged to participate.

Competition Themes

Participants may submit essays addressing one of the following themes:

Improving Sterilisation Safety in Low-Resource Settings

Exploring practical strategies, system improvements, or innovative approaches to enhance sterilisation safety where resources are limited.

Innovations in Instrument Reprocessing

Highlighting new technologies, workflow improvements, quality improvement initiatives, or creative solutions that strengthen sterile processing systems.

The Role of CSSD in Surgical Patient Safety

Discussing how sterile processing contributes to safe surgery, infection prevention, and overall perioperative quality improvement.

Participants may draw on clinical experience, research evidence, quality improvement projects, or institutional practice.

Eligibility

The competition is open to early-career CSSD professionals, including:

• CSSD technicians
• Sterile processing assistants
• Instrument reprocessing technicians
• Operating room support staff involved in sterile processing
• Early-career professionals working in sterilisation and infection prevention

Submissions are welcomed from all countries and healthcare systems.

Awards and Recognition

Three outstanding submissions will be selected for the TORG Global CSSD Best Practice Essay Award 2026.

Winners will receive digital Certificates of Excellence from The Operating Room Global.

The awards will be structured as follows:

🥇 TORG Global CSSD Best Practice Essay Award – First Place
🥈 TORG Global CSSD Best Practice Essay Award – Second Place
🥉 TORG Global CSSD Best Practice Essay Award – Third Place

All three winners will:

• Receive a digital Certificate of Excellence
• Have their essays published on TORG platforms or featured in the TORG newsletter
• Be recognised across TORG global communication channels

Additional Recognition

The review panel may also select Honourable Mentions (up to five participants) whose submissions demonstrate notable quality and contribution to CSSD practice.

Honorable Mention recipients will receive:

• Digital Certificates of Recognition
• Acknowledgement on TORG platforms

Selected essays may also contribute to future educational resources within the TORG learning community.

Important Dates

Activity	Date
Competition Announcement	March 2026
Submission Deadline	30 April 2026
Review and Evaluation	May 2026
Notification of Winners	Early June 2026
Publication of Winning Essays	June-July 2026

Late submissions will not be considered.

Evaluation Criteria

All submissions will be reviewed by an international evaluation panel consisting of professionals with expertise in sterile processing, infection prevention, and perioperative systems.

Essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance to the Theme

The essay clearly addresses one of the competition themes and demonstrates an understanding of key issues related to CSSD practice and sterile processing systems.

Alignment with the Mission and Vision of The Operating Room Global (TORG)

Submissions should reflect the broader goals of The Operating Room Global, including:

• Promoting safe surgical systems
• Advancing perioperative education and professional development
• Encouraging global collaboration, knowledge sharing and research
• Supporting improvements in patient safety and infection prevention

Practical Relevance

The essay demonstrates practical value for CSSD professionals, healthcare institutions, or surgical teams, particularly in improving sterile processing practices.

Innovation and Original Thinking

Submissions should present new ideas, insights, or approaches that contribute to advancing sterile processing practices or improving workflow, safety, or efficiency.

Clarity and Structure

The essay should be well organised, clearly written, and easy to follow, with a logical flow of ideas and a clear conclusion.

Contribution to Patient Safety

Submissions should demonstrate how CSSD practices contribute to safe surgery, infection prevention, and improved healthcare outcomes.

Scoring Framework

Criteria	Weight
Relevance to Theme	20%
Alignment with TORG Mission and Vision	20%
Practical Relevance	15%
Innovation and Original Thinking	15%
Clarity and Structure	15%
Contribution to Patient Safety	15%

Total: 100 points

Academic Integrity and Use of AI Tools

TORG is committed to maintaining high standards of academic and professional integrity.

Plagiarism Policy

• All submissions must be the author’s original work.
• Essays will be screened for plagiarism using standard plagiarism detection tools.
• Submissions containing significant plagiarism will be disqualified.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Participants may use AI tools only for language editing or grammar support. However:

• AI tools must not generate the essay content itself.
• Authors remain fully responsible for the originality and accuracy of their submission.
• Submissions suspected of being primarily AI-generated may be excluded from the competition.

Submission Process

Participants must submit two separate documents as part of their application.

1. Essay Submission (Anonymous Document)

The essay should be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) and must not contain any identifying information about the author.

To ensure a fair and unbiased review process, the essay should include only:

• Essay title
• Abstract (maximum 150 words)
• Main essay text (800-1200 words) with in-text citations where applicable
• References (Harvard Style)

Author names, institutions, or affiliations must not appear anywhere in the essay document.

2. Cover Letter (Author Information)

A separate cover letter document should include the following information:

• Full name (First Name Middle Name Last Name)
• Professional Title(s)
• Professional role
• Institution or organisation
• Country of practice
• Professional qualifications
• Contact email address
• Essay title
• Declaration of originality confirming that the work is the author’s own and has not been previously published

This document will be used for administrative purposes only and will not be shared with the evaluation panel during the review process.

3. Author Photograph Requirement

Participants are requested to include a professional headshot photograph as part of their submission materials.

This photograph may be used for publication and recognition purposes if the participant is selected as a winner or receives an honourable mention.

Photo Guidelines

The photograph should meet the following criteria:

• Professional headshot or portrait
• Clear image with good lighting
• Neutral or professional background
• High resolution (minimum 800 × 800 pixels recommended)
• File format: JPEG or PNG

Examples of acceptable photographs include:

• Professional portrait
• Hospital or clinical setting portrait
• Formal profile photo used for professional publications

Participants should ensure the image is appropriate for professional publication on TORG platforms.

File Naming

The image file should be labelled using the following format:

Surname_FirstName_Photo.jpg

Submission Email

Both documents should be submitted together via email.

Email Address:
[email protected]

Subject Line:
TORG CSSD Essay Competition Submission

Attachments should be clearly labelled:

• TORG_Essay Title_CSSD_Essay.docx
• AuthorName_CoverLetter.docx
• Surname_FirstName_Photo.jpg
  

Submission Deadline

All submissions must be received no later than 30 April 2026.

Late submissions will not be considered.

Project Coordination

This initiative is coordinated by the New Zealand Chapter of The Operating Room Global.

Project Coordinator
Mr. Hafiz Abdul Mannan
Chairperson, TORG New Zealand Chapter (TORG-NZ)

Working in collaboration with CSSD professionals and global contributors across the TORG network, this initiative aims to strengthen professional engagement and support continuous learning in sterile processing worldwide.

Why This Initiative Matters

Sterile processing is a cornerstone of surgical safety. By encouraging CSSD professionals to share their insights and experiences, this initiative supports:

• Global knowledge exchange
• Professional recognition for CSSD teams
• Continuous learning in sterilisation practice
• Improved patient safety worldwide

TORG looks forward to receiving contributions from CSSD professionals across the global healthcare community.