Nominations open for Water Changemaker Awards 2023

Deadline: 18-Aug-23

Applications are now open for the Water Changemaker Awards to recognise high-level commitment and leadership for climate resilient water investments and showcase the most promising climate resilient innovations with the greatest potential for scale investment to support a water-secure world.

Water Changemaker Awards will bring together the supply and demand for innovative finance with a special focus on climate resilient, blended public-private finance, and gender transformative approaches. The initiative promotes the most promising climate resilient innovations to enable them to access new and innovative finance sources from institutional investors, debt, equity, and others from private and public sources, to enable them to scale up.

A paradigm shift in water investments is required to access new sources of innovative finance. Investment in climate-resilient water security and sanitation has an economic return of USD $7 for every USD $1 invested. Investing in a water secure future now will realise human security, a healthy environment, amplify gender equality, health, energy, education, food security, and many other societal gains for this generation – and those to come.

The Water Changemakers Awards 2023 contribute to GWP’s climate resilience strategy (2020-2025) that aims to support more than 30 countries access climate finance and influence investments of more than €1 billion for climate-resilient water management and infrastructure founded on robust, inclusive, and effective water governance systems. Selected winners will be considered for the following categories:

• Global Leadership and commitment – Special Presidential Recognition Award at a global event.
• Innovation on climate finance for water security: Investment, finance, and technical assistance of at least Euros 100,000 for acceleration of innovative business models and preparation for successful scaling up and replication.

Objectives

• To identify and promote the most promising and innovative water and climate resilient solutions, specifically:
  • To identify and promote high level political and global leaders demonstrating commitment and; leadership for scaling up climate resilient water investments.
  • To identify and scale-up innovative climate solutions.
  • To promote access to climate finance for innovators.
  • To promote collaboration among innovators, funders, and technical partners.

Categories

• Presidential Changemakers Award.
• Innovation Changemaker Award.
• Youth Water Changemaker Award.

Themes

• The Water Changemaker Awards will contribute to:
  • Water solutions for the sustainable development goals.
  • Climate resilience through water.
  • Transboundary water cooperation.
  • Private sector, gender equality, and
  • youth empowerment.

Benefit

• Selected Water Changemakers will receive technical assistance and seed funding to scale up their innovations, and strengthen their business and investment case for investors.

Outcomes

• Coalition of High-level political and global leaders demonstrating commitment and leadership for transforming climate resilient water investments created.
• Selected water and climate innovations, solutions, and access to climate finance scaled up.
• Enhanced collaboration among innovators through matchmaking of supply and demand.
• Increased access to impact investments, offering investment opportunities, equity, strategic partnerships, and alliances with development impact and return on investments.

Who can submit?

• Entities are eligible to enter the Innovation Changemaker Award if they have been operating for at least one year and are seeking to scale up on a successful business model.
  • What
    • Innovative initiative should be about a business model involving water which has contributed to building resilience to climate change.
  • Who
    • All organisations, entities, and individual as associated with the private and non-profit sector are eligible to submit their innovative changemaker initiative. Applicants need to be involved in the initiative described or have the agreement of those that are involved to submit. If you have more than one experience to share, you may – multiple submissions are welcome.
  • Where
    • Innovations can be from anywhere in the world. Applicants are invited to join the GWP network, if they are not already a member.
  • Exclusion
    • Staff employed by GWPO or any of the GWP Regional Secretariats, or their direct relatives (partners, children, parents) are not eligible to take part in the Water Changemaker Awards, nor are members of GWP’s Global Steering Committee or Global Technical Committee.
  • Languages
    • Submissions are accepted in English, French, and Spanish.

For more information, visit Global Water Partnership.