Introducing the IWA Global Water Award

The IWA Global Water Award recognises individuals who, through innovative leadership and practice, have made an outstanding contribution to progress towards a world in which water is wisely managed. Showcasing exceptional individuals who have changed industry norms to create lasting progress, the Global Water Award is the most prestigious IWA award and recognises leading water innovators driving impactful change.

Eligible candidates can be IWA members or non-members from academia, science or practice (utilities, consultancy, technology providers, government, NGOs and civil society, or international organisations).

Assessment criteria and procedure

Vision – The nominee will have established themselves as someone to whom others look for inspiration, insight, and authority on the direction of developments relating to water.

Leadership – The nominee will have a demonstrated track record as a leader, initiating and overseeing noteworthy actions in the water sector.

Impact – The nominee will be someone who has clearly been influential in bringing about change in the sector.

Based on these criteria, a review panel will make a preliminary assessment of all submissions and develop a shortlist of nominees. Shortlisted candidates will proceed to the second stage, where they will be requested to provide more information about their career paths. This information will then be assessed by a judging panel formed by high-level IWA members, comprising experts from industry, university, utilities and stakeholders in the water and wastewater sector from various regions.

Award ceremony

The winner of the 2026 IWA Global Water Award will receive a trophy and certificate honouring their contributions. The Award will be presented at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland, in front of a global audience of water leaders. Additionally, the winner will be introduced to various important groups and committees within IWA.

Past Awardees

Dr. Joan Rose 

Dr. Joan Rose is the winner of the 2024 IWA Global Water Award. She is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and she co-directs both MSU’s Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) and its Center for Water Sciences (CWS). Joan has been a chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Health-related Water Microbiology, she is a Distinguished Fellow, was a Board Member from 2016 until 2021 and chaired the IWA COVID-19 Task Force. Learn more about Dr. Joan Rose…

Nisha Mandani

Tony Wong

Qiu Baoxing

Dr. Qiu Baoxing has made outstanding contributions to manage and improve water pollution and water environmental governance in the face of China’s rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Under his leadership between 2001-2013, the number of wastewater treatment plants in urban areas of China dramatically increased from 506 to 3513, a more than seven-fold increase. This equates to a total capacity increase from 35 million to 150 million cubic meter of wastewater being treated each day, a four-fold increase. Learn more… 

Daniel A Okun

Kenan Professor of Environmental Engineering Emeritus, University of Northern California, USA

Professor Daniel A. Okun, was hailed worldwide for his groundbreaking work in identifying pristine water sources (including Chapel Hill’s Cane Creek Reservoir), water management, water supply, pollution control, water reclamation and reuse, and watershed protection issues.

During his career, Okun worked in 89 countries and consulted with municipal and legislative planning committees throughout the United States. Among professor Okun’s many contributions, he helped design a water treatment plant in Bangkok, Thailand; establish a graduate program in sanitary engineering in Lima, Peru; and studied water supply and pollution control in China for the World Bank. At home in Chapel Hill, he led the campaign to build Cane Creek Dam and Reservoir in the 1980s to ensure the most pristine water source possible for Chapel Hill and the UNC campus. Learn more.