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ORGANISATION WATER AWARDS

Recognising corporate excellence and innovation

AWA member organisations are invited to nominate for state and national awards recognising organisational achievement working with water. 

Raise your business profile and inspire water peers with nominations across infrastructure innovation, organisational excellence, research, safety, and customer experience. 

Conditions Of Entry


Customer Experience Award

 

 

Customer Experience - National Awards

Overview

The Customer Experience Award promotes a culture of valuing excellent customer experience and moving towards customer centricity. Our future success and a sustainable water future will depend on providing valued products and services in a dynamic environment.

 

Eligibility

Open to all corporate members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years. 

 

National Sponsor

WSAA-1

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Describe you customer experience initiative (300 words)
  • Describe how it was defined and delivered including involvement or role of organisational leadership, customers and other areas of the business in the delivery (500 words)
  • Describe how it improved the customer centric culture in your organisation (300 words)
  • Outline the impact/benefits to customers (include evidence on what has changed in regard to influence on business decisions or customer outcomes, what did it look like including, improvements in customer experience measures, e.g. CSAT, NPS) (500 words)
  • Can this initiative be transferred more broadly? If yes, how? (300 words)

 

Closing Date

28 February 2025

 

Water Industry Safety Excellence Award

Water Industry Safety Excellence Award - National AWARDS

Overview

The Water Industry Safety Excellence Award acknowledges outstanding initiatives and team contributions in considering and playing an active part in the area of safety improvement and injury prevention across the entire water industry. 

 

Eligibility

Open to all corporate members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years. 

 

National Sponsor

WSAA-1

 

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Provide a brief overview of the safety initiative (210 words)
  • Outline what the safety issue is/was and the process to establish the root cause (160 words)
  • State the assessment of the hierarchy of control and how the highest feasible level of control was adopted (210 words)
  • Describe the process established to trial and develop the solution (160 words)
  • To what extent were key stakeholders consulted about the chosen process (210 words)
  • Is this initiative an original concept? How did others contribute to the development? (210 words)
  • Describe the health and safety benefits achieved by the initiative, including the improvements in organisational or team health and safety performance (260 words)
  • Can this initiative be transferred more broadly? If yes, how? (210 words)

Closing Date

28 February 2025
R&D Excellence Award

R&D Excellence Award

Overview

The R&D Excellence Award recognises projects that challenge current practice and address the need for a sustainable future. These projects add to the conservation or better use of water resources, knowledge of water technology, environment, sociology, economics or culture aspects. This award is open to research and development of all types, including early-stage.

Entry for the R&D Excellence Award is at a state or territory level with winners eligible for national awards. 

 

Eligibility

Open to all corporate members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years. 

 

National Sponsor

Water Research Australia-horizontal-1

 

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Project executive summary (150 words)
  • Outline the most significant contribution of the R&D project to achieving a prosperous and sustainable water future (250 words)
  • Provide evidence of research excellence e.g. competitive funding awarded, industry acceptance (uptake), honours and prizes (250 words)
  • Demonstrate t he social, economic, environmental and/or cultural impacts of the project, how the impact has been achieved and by whom (250 words)
  • Provide evidence of the broader engagement of R&D outcomes e.g. publications (media and journals), presentations or demonstrations (250 words) 

Closing Dates

Nominations for the 2025 season are closed. Nominations for the 2026 season will open in June 2025.

 

 

Infrastructure Project Innovation Award

Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (Regional And Metro)

Overview

The Infrastructure Project Innovation Award recognises significant and innovative projects within the water industry that drive prosperity and sustainability. Projects that may be included in this award are those that involve new or upgraded built and non-infrastructure solutions which have delivered improved outcomes for the organisation, community and/or industry. 

The category is split for judging at both a state and national level based on whether the project was completed in a metropolitan or regional area. The nominee should refer to the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA) map supplied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to determine which category they believe their project best fits into. It will then be at the discretion of the judging panel should they determine the category needs to be changed.  

The same criteria will be used to assess the submissions in both Metro and Regional categories. 


Eligibility

Open to all corporate members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years. 

 

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Provide an executive summary that states the context of the project including why the project was being undertaken and the objectives of the project (250 words)
  • Outline how the project is original or innovative (250 words)
  • Outline the project’s relevance to the Australian water industry and how it is promoting a sustainable future (250 words)
  • Outline the benefits of the initiative – social, economic, environmental and/or cultural – and how these benefits have been realised (250 words) 

Closing Dates

Nominations for the 2025 season are closed. Nominations for the 2026 season will open in June 2025.

 

 

 

Organisational Excellence Award

Organisational Excellence Award

Overview

The Organisational Excellence Award recognises significant and innovative initiatives within the water industry that drive prosperity and sustainability. These initiatives or corporate programs drive organisational, transformative change or external programs that improve the engagement or outcomes for our communities and partners.   

Entry is at a state or territory level with winners eligible for national awards. 

Eligibility

Open to all corporate members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years. 

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Provide the context of the initiative including motivation and objectives (150 words)
  • Detail the program’s relevance to the Australian water industry and how it is promoting a sustainable future (250 words)
  • Outline how the initiative is original or innovative (250 words)
  • Outline the benefits of the initiative – social, economic, environmental and/or cultural – and how these benefits have been realised (250 words)
  • Provide evidence of adoption, acceptance (uptake), recognition or promotion of the initiative (250 words)
  • Provide a testimonial by an adopter or beneficiary of the initiative that addresses the criteria (500 words uploaded as a PDF) 

Closing Dates

Nominations for the 2025 season are closed. Nominations for the 2026 season will open in June 2025.

 

 

Water Sensitive Urban Design

Water Sensitive Urban Design (Grahame Heal) Award (WA Only)

Overview

The Water Sensitive Urban Design Award, in memory of Grahame Heal, recognises excellence in total water cycle management that has resulted in better on–ground water, wastewater or drainage outcomes.

 

Eligibility

Open to all members and non-members of the Australian Water Association for projects taking place in the last two years within Western Australia. 

 

Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Project Executive Summary (250 words)
  • Describe the innovative, unique or other improved features of the project which sets it apart from conventional drainage, water or wastewater management practices (500 words)
  • Describe how your project considers the total water cycle in an integrated manner. (For example the optimisation of water quantity, water quality, water efficiency and water reuse) (500 words)
  • Describe the economic, environmental, recreational, social and/or cultural benefits of the project (500 words)
  • Describe how you involved stakeholders to make the project a success (500 words)

Closing Date

Nominations for the 2025 season are closed. Nominations for the 2026 season will open in June 2025.

 

 

Innovating for Sustainable Water and Environmental Outcomes Award

Innovating for Sustainable Water and Environmental Outcomes Award (WA Only)

Overview

The Innovating for Sustainable Water and Environmental Outcomes Award recognises achievements of innovators in Western Australian in fostering the advancement of sustainable water management and/or significant environmental outcomes of water management practices. The innovation can relate to financing, design, construction, communication, planning, management, rehabilitation, marketing, sustainability and/or use of technology. 

The winner of this award will receive a one year AWA corporate bronze membership.  
 
 

Eligibility

Open to AWA members and non members, however the lead organisation must be a not-for-profit, local government body, non-government organisation, school or small business. 
Submissions should be less than $2 million aggregated turnover per project. 
Projects or initiatives must have taken place in the last two years within Western Australia.


Conditions of Entry

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Submission Criteria

  • Project date (commenced - completed)
  • Describe your innovation and why it is innovative (500 words)
  • What is the innovation's relevance to the WA water industry? (500 words)
  • What are the projected benefits to the local water industry? What specific problem can be/was solved with your innovation? (500 words)
  • Describe the applications of your innovation (and if applicable include examples of where your innovation has been put in practice) (500 words)

Closing Date

Nominations for the 2025 season are closed. Nominations for the 2026 season will open in June 2025.

 

Sponsors
Gov - Department of Water-1

WATER CORPORATION

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


  • Showcase and promote organisational achievement and innovation
  • Raise your business profile across AWA channels  
  • Position your organisation as water leaders 
  • Create an award-winning workplace and employer of choice 
  • Inspire other organisations working with water

All Awards, aside from the Student Water Prize and Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize, are open toAWA members only.  
 
Fororganisational awards, the lead organisation/s must be a current Corporate Member. Any partner organisations listed in the submission must also be a current Corporate Member to receive recognition if announced as a finalist and/or winner. This recognition includes the organisation/s being listed as a finalist on award collateral (online and print), on email communications announcing the finalists and/or winners, on any certificates and/or trophies, on the awards visual presentation (if applicable) and on media release statements. If the partner organisation/s listed in the submission are not current Corporate AWA Members, they will not receive the recognition as listed above.  
 
To enter, nominations must be submitted using the online entry forms. Please note when your relevant State or Territory award submissions close. 

All nominations must be submitted via the online nomination form. Please check the relevant award category page to view the requirements to complete the nomination form. 

State judging is coordinated by the relevant Member Engagement Manager and committee. Each state convenes a panel of experts to assess the applications.  
 
National judging is coordinated by the National Awards Manager. The panels of experts are approved by the Honours & Awards Sub-committee of the Board to take part in the judging. Each panel includes at least three judges and is chaired by an AWA Board Director.  
 
At both state and national levels, judges score each nominee based on how well they address the award criteria. The panel then meets to review the scoring and discuss the merits of all submissions. Final scoring and ranking is based on a majority vote from all eligible members of the judging panel.  
 
All judges adhere to a code of conduct which includes a policy to prevent conflicts of interest. The judges’ decision is final and no discussion about the merits of entries will be entered into with nominees.