The IWA Young Leadership Award is granted to an exceptional water professional under the age of 35 years who has demonstrated significant achievements in their career to date and who signify outstanding leadership potential, and the ability to play a large and influential role in the water industry in the future.
Throughout their two-year tenure, the award winner will hold the position of Young Leadership Ambassador for IWA and the IWA Young Water Professionals Community.
For the Young Leadership Award the following Judging criteria apply:
First Round Nominations
First-round submissions will comprise a biography and 500 word motivation on why you think this young water professional needs to win the award.
Top 5 Candidates Selection
The judges will assess all submissions and pick the top 5 candidates for full submission.
Second Round Nominations
Requiring a more detailed motivation, along with supporting documentation and images form selected candidates.
Winner will be informed
Hand out of Award at World Water Congress
Award winners will be announced at the President’s dinner during the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition and be announced during the Congress.
The YLA is open to water (related) sector professionals who are 35 years or younger and is open for public nominations*. Nominees can both be members and non-members of the IWA.
*Self-nomination is not allowed.
THE PRIZE
The Young Leadership Award receives a trophy and certificate at The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition – in front of an audience of water leaders from around the world. She or he will be introduced to IWA Leadership Committees (IWA Board, Strategic Council, Governing Member Committees, Emerging Water Leaders Steering Committee) during the President’s Dinner before the start of the World Water Congress & Exhibition.
It is an extraordinary opportunity to be profiled and introduced to the IWA network and being known as the IWA Young Leadership Award Winner 2018 forever. The position of IWA Young Leader Ambassador, throughout a tenure of 2 years. encourages more young water professionals to get to know the IWA, and understand its opportunities. A personalised IWA induction, invitations as Inspirational Speaker during the opening of the International Young Water Professionals Conference, the option of joinning the Emerging Water Leaders Committee meetings and represent IWA YWP community at (IWA) Water related events worldwide are some of the highlights that are part of the IWA Young Leadership Award.
Jacob Kwasi Amengor is the winner of the IWA Young Leadership Award 2018. As Assistant Water Quality Officer at Ghana Water, Jacob Amengor combines academic, professional and personal achievements to emerge as the most exemplary role model of his generation, a promising individual motivated to empower young water professionals within and beyond Africa.
2016 IWA Young Leadership Award
Rianna Gonzales is the recipient of the 2016 IWA Young Leadership Award. Rianna is a passionate and committed young woman in the field of natural resources management with a focus on water resources management, environmental awareness and youth empowerment. She is a young citizen of the Caribbean, hailing from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. She has her first degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Coastal Engineering and Management.
Professionally she is a Senior Water Planning Officer at the Water Resources Agency of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) in her country. She has shown exceptional initiative and dedication in the area of water management and environmental consciousness. One of her most notable achievements has been the championing of the international best practice of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Trinidad and Tobago for the past seven (7) years which has now become a priority initiative under government policy.
Outside of her professional duties she has been an active advocate for youth empowerment through education and lobbying for over the past nine (9) years with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a regional youth led organisation, and is currently the National Coordinator of the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter.
In 2015, Rianna was selected to be one of the Lead Coordinating authors for the UNEP Global Environment Outlook 6 Regional Assessment on Latin America and the Caribbean specifically on the chapters on freshwater and oceans and seas. Rianna was also highlighted as one of the Commonwealth’s Young Achievers for 2015.
IWA Young Professionals Awardees
2014 ▩ Inga Jacobs, South Africa
2012 ▩ Norhayati Binti Abdullah, Malaysia
2010 ▩ Rita Henderson, Australia
2008 ▩ Enrique Cabrera, Spain
2006 ▩ How Yong Ng, Singapore
2004 ▩ Till Merkel, Germany
2002 ▩ Daniel Deere, Australia
2001 ▩ Lin Wang, China
2000 ▩ Matthias Maier, Germany
1999 ▩ Urs von Gutten, Switzerland
