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June 11, 2026, Arlington, VA—The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the national voice for every person’s right to age well, has announced the winners of the 2026 Programs of Excellence Awards managed by NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC).

From a creative writing course to a dementia-friendly film series and a field day competition, the winning programs showcase how senior centers are creatively meeting the needs and interests of their communities.

"We are thrilled every year to recognize the innovation and creativity of senior centers as they improve the lives of older adults in their communities," said Dianne Stone, NCOA's Associate Director of Community Partnerships and Network Activation. "These programs provide an example and inspiration for senior centers across the country."

Each year, NISC selects winners and honorable mentions through a peer-review process. Judges are NISC Affiliate members, who look for programs that are innovative, have demonstrated impact, and can be replicated by other senior centers.

The 2026 Programs of Excellence winners in each category are:

Visibility and Communications

• Winner: MiGen Communication Pillars – MiGen, Michigan

MiGen centers and celebrates older adults in the LGBTQ+ community, from branding to articles to ongoing lists of activities and engaging programs. MiGen works with other senior centers to create, support, and integrate inclusive programming and practices into their own centers, enabling them to better serve LGBTQ+ older adults.

Health, Wellness, and Nutrition

• Winner: Grown Folks Talk: Sex Education for Older Adults – Woodie Fite Senior Center, Georgia

Grown Folks Talk: Sex Education for Older Adults is a first of its kind sex education program designed specifically for adults aged 55 and older in response to a growing but often overlooked public health concern: rising rates of sexually transmitted infections among older adults, paired with persistent stigma and limited access to age-appropriate sexual health information.

Cross-Generational Connections

• Winner: Students Writing Senior Stories – South Morrow County Senior Matters, Oregon

The Students Writing Senior Stories Project is an intergenerational storytelling initiative designed to preserve the life stories of older adults while fostering meaningful connections between seniors and local students. The program addresses two common challenges in rural communities: social isolation among older adults and limited opportunities for students to engage in authentic, service-based learning.

Social and Support Services

• Winner: Safe and Sound – Solon Senior Center, Ohio

The Safe and Sound program was created to address a growing concern among older adults—being unprepared for personal emergencies and community disasters. This innovative two-part series prepared older adults with both emergency planning knowledge and tangible tools, centering the theory of levels of care. 

Social Connection and Engagement

• Winner: Dementia Friendly Film Series – Whitney Senior Center, Minnesota

The Dementia Film Series brings the community together through thoughtfully selected documentaries and feature films focused on dementia, caregiving, and prevention. Each screening includes access to resources and refreshments prior to the film, followed by a facilitated panel discussion that allows participants to reflect and ask questions.

Modernizing Senior Centers Innovation

• Winner: Parables of the Future: Black Future Fest – Iowa City Senior Center, Iowa

Parables of the Future: Black Future Fest was the first of its kind, month-long civic cultural series produced by the Iowa City Senior Center centered on Afrofuturist imagination, intergenerational belonging, and the radical idea that aging spaces can be sites of creative innovation. The 2026 series ran Jan. 19 through Feb. 19, honoring the 100th year of Black History Month and activating the center's historic downtown building as a contemporary cultural venue.

NCOA celebrated the winners at its 2026 Age+Action Conference in May. All current and past winners also are featured on NCOA’s website in the Programs of Excellence Clearinghouse.

About NCOA 
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person’s right to age well. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, best practices, and advocacy to create the conditions for everyone to age with health and economic well-being. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging. 

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