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.
2024 IWA Awards
The 2024 IWA Awards have been presented at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, 11-15 August 2024, in Toronto, Canada. The Awards ceremony took place during the Opening Plenary on 11 August 2024.
The 2024 IWA Awards winners are:
Global Water Award – Dr. Joan Rose, USA
Young Leadership Award – Sabrina Rashid Sheonty, Bangladesh
Gender and Diversity Award – Professor Juliet Willetts, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
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.