Why Meredith Grey Could Triumph at the Harper Avery Awards (While Cristina May Not)

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Cristina's career is focused and dedicated, making her a deserving contender for the Harper Avery Award, but a conflict of interest disqualifies her.

By winning the Harper Avery Award, Meredith's achievement not only showcases her growth as a surgeon but also highlights her remarkable skill in maintaining a balance between personal relationships and her successful career. Within the Grey's Anatomy universe, the Harper Avery Award carries immense prestige, as demonstrated by past recipients such as Ellis Grey and Margaret Goodwin, who are esteemed for their pioneering surgical methods.

Did Cristina also win the Harper Avery Award? The question arose among fans after Meredith's victory in Grey's Anatomy. Throughout the first 10 seasons, Cristina consistently demonstrated herself as the superior surgeon, relentless in her pursuit of excellence. While being a surgeon was always Cristina's top priority, Meredith often prioritized her personal relationships over her career. This distinction ultimately led to Meredith deserving the award more than her friend and colleague.

In the Grey's Anatomy universe, the Harper Avery Award is the most prestigious honor a doctor can receive. Established by Dr. Harper Avery, it recognizes surgeons who are already at the pinnacle of their profession and motivates them to further enhance their skills. Along with the accolade, the recipient is granted $500,000. Although the Harper Avery Award, like all the doctors and hospitals mentioned in Grey's Anatomy, is fictional, it represents a significant and genuine honor for those who attain it. Cristina and her connection to the award hold a rich history, but did she ultimately win the Harper Avery?

Why Christina Was Disqualified From The Harper Avery Award

In Grey's Anatomy season 14, Meredith achieves the prestigious Harper Avery award, setting her apart from her fellow surgeon Christina Yang. Although Christina was nominated for the same award in season 10, she did not win. Despite the political aspects, both on and off the screen, Meredith deserves the Harper Avery due to her exceptional career progress without neglecting her personal relationships. Her victory symbolizes her personal and professional growth as well as a celebration of Grey's Anatomy's overall development and endurance. However, there is a specific logistical reason why Meredith could win the Harper Avery while Christina couldn't.

The Harper Avery award in Grey's Anatomy is granted to surgeons who are dedicated and of high caliber. Hence, it is logical for Christina to be nominated for the award in season 10. This nomination marks a significant moment for a character who has prioritized her career above all else for ten seasons. However, despite winning the majority vote, Christina is unable to receive the Harper Avery due to the fact that the hospital she works at, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, is owned by the Harper Avery Foundation. Granting Christina the award would be considered a conflict of interest.

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Why Meredith Deserved The Harper Avery Award

Due to Christina's disqualification, Meredith's chances of winning the Harper Avery in Grey's Anatomy season 14 seemed impossible, considering she is also employed at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, when Meredith does eventually win the award, the prestige of the Harper Avery has shifted, as its namesake, Harper Avery himself, has passed away. Amidst the confusion among viewers regarding Grey's Anatomy season 14 episode 7, showrunner Krista Vernoff confirmed on Twitter that,

The Harper Avery Rule came to an end with the passing of Harper Avery himself.

In terms of talent, both Christina and Meredith excel as doctors on Grey's Anatomy. However, when considering other factors, it becomes more logical for Meredith to be the recipient of such a prestigious award rather than Christina. Throughout season 10 of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith found herself torn between her surgical career and her responsibilities as a parent. Christina's observations confirmed Meredith's fears as she noticed that Meredith's skills had declined since getting married and having children. As a result, Meredith decided to embark on a research project focusing on 3D-printing surgical equipment, mirroring Christina's efforts. Despite Christina later taking advantage of Meredith's resources for her own project, which ultimately led to her Harper Avery nomination, it was Meredith's project that proved to be more successful.

Furthermore, this content fragment served as the basis for a more advanced research project that she handed off to a more qualified engineer. Despite removing Meredith's name from the project, her primary objective was to enhance her skills and contribute to medical innovation, all while disproving any notion that her relationships in Grey's Anatomy hindered her career. Eventually, Meredith ascended to the position of Head of General Surgery in season 12, despite enduring the tragic loss of her husband Derek in a car accident and even giving birth to her third child.

Despite personal hardships, she remained resilient and emerged as a prominent example on the show of a single, working mother who successfully balances professional ambitions with personal responsibilities. Moreover, she made significant sacrifices, like choosing to stay at the hospital to work during her Harper Avery Award ceremony, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to surgery and selflessness in caring for others. Importantly, the episode in which Meredith received the Harper Avery Award coincided with the show's 300th episode, a milestone achieved by only a select few TV shows in history.

The episode served as a nostalgic reflection on Grey's Anatomy's origins, commemorating the beloved characters that Meredith — and, consequently, the audience — have loved and lost. Interestingly, the main patients resembled doppelgängers of George, Izzie, and Cristina (the original core cast). As Meredith looked up to see the crowd applauding her, she caught sight of her late mother, Ellis, standing among them. In the end, Meredith's victory became a triumph for the fans. Just like Meredith and the overall Grey's Anatomy series, the fans have experienced growth, love, loss, and, most importantly, remained loyal. Though Cristina winning a Harper Avery would have been a fitting culmination of her character's journey, Meredith's award unequivocally serves as a heartfelt tribute to the fans.

Who Else Won A Harper Avery Award?

The renowned Dr. Ellis Grey, mother of Meredith Grey, not only achieved the prestigious Harper Avery Award herself, but her accomplishment had a profound impact on her daughter's perception of her. It shed light on her mother's brilliance and the incredible influence she held over the medical field. Ellis's initial triumph came in 1988 with her development of the "Grey Method," a groundbreaking laparoscopic technique for gallbladder treatment. Years later, she received her second accolade, the Harper Avery Award for the "Ellis Grey Procedure," which recognized her pioneering work in laparoscopic biliary reconstruction.

Other characters from Grey's Anatomy have also been recipients of the prestigious Harper Avery Award. Margaret Goodwin, for example, achieved this honor in 1996 for her pioneering contributions in the field of surgery, although the specifics of her achievement remain relatively unknown. Preston Burke, another character from the show, garnered controversy with his win of the Harper Avery Award in 2008. Despite his egregious treatment of Cristina on Grey's Anatomy, Burke made no mention of or expression of gratitude towards her, even though her pivotal role was indispensable in his achievement of the award.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z fan, I have mixed feelings about Meredith Grey winning the Harper Avery Award while Cristina Yang did not. On the one hand, I understand that Cristina is a more dedicated and focused surgeon, and she deserves recognition for her hard work. On the other hand, I also appreciate that Meredith has grown as a surgeon and is able to balance her personal relationships with her career.

I think both Cristina and Meredith are deserving of the award, and it's a shame that only one of them could win. Ultimately, I think Meredith's win is a sign of her growth and development as a character, and I'm happy for her.