Deadline: 20 April 2020
The International Water Association (IWA) has announced a call for nominations for 2020 Project Innovation Awards to recognise and promote excellence and innovation in water management, research and technology.
Now in their 13th year, the awards are presented at a prestigious gala event in front of an audience of water leaders from around the world.
The Project Innovation Awards recognise that shared challenges can be overcome through the development and implementation of creative water solutions.
Water underpins every aspect of human and environmental existence. The severe water challenges facing the world today require an unprecedented global response. Innovation plays a central role in achieving IWA’s vision of a world in which water is managed wisely to satisfy the needs of human activities and ecosystems in an equitable and sustainable way.
Categories
IWA is now inviting preliminary submissions for the 2020 edition for the following categories:
- Market-changing Water Technology & Infrastructure: This award celebrates innovations in water & wastewater technologies and infrastructure, which embrace forward-thinking applications and solutions to advance clean and safe water goals. These solutions can range from specific technologies to innovative approaches.
- Breakthroughs in Research and Development: Research is the powerhouse of disruptive and breakthrough innovation. This award celebrates research that is challenging existing markets and addressing future needs to create new opportunities. It is open to the research of all types, as well as early-stage business projects that are not yet market-ready.
- Governance, Institutions and Social Enterprise: This award celebrates social innovation, social enterprise and social entrepreneurship and their contribution to sustainable water management. In addition, it recognizes innovations in governance and institutional transitions and the role this plays in supporting the circular and digital water economies.
- Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions: Original thinking is essential for overcoming long-term challenges and delivering solutions for the future. This award celebrates new and innovative approaches that improve performance, efficiency, resilience and sustainability in water operations and maintenance.
- Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery: Innovation in the execution of water projects is critical for the sector. This award celebrates projects that developed and implemented: creative practices during their execution; excellent client relationships beyond expectations; outstanding responses to unexpected difficulties.
- Smart Systems and the Digital Water Economy: This award celebrates digital solutions with the potential to reshape the water sector. Harnessing and aligning this technology between the physical and digital worlds, creates a smarter way of managing and protecting water resources and building a water-wise society.
Winning Projects
- Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded for each project category. The gold medal winners will automatically advance to the global awards round to compete for the IWA Grand Innovation Award 2020.
- Gold medal winners will be considered for the IWA Grand Innovation Award 2020.
Nomination Criteria
The Project Innovation Awards are open to applications from individuals, companies, organisations, and public bodies.
Awards applicants selected as medal winners will be informed by 30 June 2020.
For more information, visit https://iwa-network.org/iwa-project-innovation-awards/