IWA Awards

Inspiring change through innovation and leadership

IWA is committed to recognising the special contributions and achievements of its members and wider water sector professionals, and the invaluable contribution they make to global progress in water science and management. 

The IWA Awards recognise the broad range of excellence, leadership and innovation which IWA members and others bring to both our Association and the sector at large. Through this recognition, the awards encourage tangible progress that contributes to the sustainable management of water. As such, the awards are an important element of IWA’s theory of change articulated in our Strategic Plan.

IWA Awards represent a vehicle through which IWA encourages and rewards innovation and sets international benchmarks for innovative thinking and the application of solutions for wise water management and practice.

Nominations for 2024 are now closed.

2023 IWA Water & Development Awards

The 2023 winners were announced at the IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition, 10-14 December, Kigali, Rwanda. The Awards ceremony took place during the Opening Plenary on 10 December at the Kigali Convention Centre.

The 2023 IWA Water and Development Award winners are:

Development Award for Research – Dr Veena Srinivasan, WELL Labs, India

Development Award for Practice – Dr Doulaye Kone, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA

2022 IWA Awards

The 2022 IWA Awards have been presented at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, 11-15 September 2022, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Awards ceremony took place during the Opening Plenary on 11 September 2022.

The 2022 IWA Awards winners are:

Global Water Award – Nisha Mandani, India

Development Award for Research – Prof. Damir Brdjanovic, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Netherlands

Development Award for Practice – Africa Sand Dam Foundation, Kenya

Young Leadership Award – Céline Vaneeckhaute, Université Laval, Canada

Gender and Diversity Award – Annabell Waititu, Bigfive Africa Ltd., Kenya

2021 Awards at the Digital World Water Congress

The winners of the IWA Awards 2021 were announced on 24 May 2021 during the opening ceremony of the Digital World Water Congress. The awards, held every two years, recognise the outstanding achievements of IWA members and water sector professionals. Additionally, the winners of the IWA Membership Awards have been announced by IWA President Tom Mollenkopf, during a plenary session on Tuesday 1 June to mark the beginning of the second week of the Digital World Water Congress.

Watch the Awards ceremony at the IWA Digital World Water Congress 2021

In this video:

Global Water Award – Marcos von Sperling

Women in Water Award – Nafisa Barot

Professional Development Award – Indah Water Konsortium

Young Leadership Award – Siddhartha Roy

Membership Awards 2021

This award recognises outstanding and sustained contributions of members in relation to the water sector and the Association. Two exceptional individuals won this recognition at the Digital Congress: Prof Jiri Wanner, from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, and Prof Mark van Loosdrecht from Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands.

Latest Updates

January 22, 2024
Pictured above: Award winners at the Opening Ceremony of the IWA 2022 World Water Congress & Exhibition, left to right: Kala Vairavamoorthy – IWA Exec...
January 19, 2024
Registration is now open for the highly anticipated World Water Congress & Exhibition 2024. This global event covering the entire water cycle will be held o...
January 17, 2024
IWA is pleased to announce details of the call for entries for the latest edition of the Project Innovation Awards (PIA). Awarded biennially at the IWA World Wa...
December 11, 2023
In the cover image, left to right: Tom Mollenkopf (IWA President) Dr Doulaye Kone, (Winner for Practice), Dr Veena Srinivasan (Winner for Research), Kala Vairav...
October 19, 2023
The International Water Association (IWA) is pleased to announce progress of a new initiative with the Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS) to engage sanita...
October 2, 2023
IWA’s Resource Recovery from Water Cluster is now calling for nominations for the Resource Recovery Best Practice Award 2023. Driven by environmental, economi...
July 20, 2023
IWA is pleased to announce that registration for its much-awaited Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE) 2023 is now open! Reaching its seventh ...
June 8, 2023
Pictured above: Award winners at the Opening Ceremony of the IWA 2022 World Water Congress & Exhibition, including the Water and Development Awards for Rese...