Please review the categories below and confirm that your nomination is made for the applicable category. 

Categories:

i. Individual or Small Teams - This category recognizes individuals or a small group (up to 3 people) of collaborators for extraordinary communication and outreach efforts.

ii. WEF Member Associations (MA) and Communities- This category recognizes the communication, outreach, and educational efforts that have been sponsored by WEF’s member associations and communities. This award is presented to eligible MAs, communities, or groups overseen by the abovementioned.

iii. Utilities, Corporations, Partnerships, or Large Groups - Utilities, Corporations, Partnerships or Large Groups: This category recognizes a utility, corporation, or a group of individuals consisting of more than 3 people for exceptional projects, programs, or other outreach efforts outside of the WEF organization.

Purpose of Award Program:

To encourage, recognize, and reward WEF-affiliated individuals and groups that provide exemplary effort to engage and educate the public on water environment issues via WEF-driven outreach, public education and/or public communications programs and activities.

Evaluation Criteria (Same for each Category):

• Demonstrate through pictures or documentation original/creative use of WEF materials.
• Depth, breadth, and response of the audience.
• Use of creative or innovative concepts or application.
• Ability to set and achieve goals, demonstrated by measurable results.
• Level of volunteer efforts as opposed to paid assistance. If paid assistance is used (which is understood to sometimes be required), provide the justification as to why it was required.
• Program continuity – is the event one-time, repetitive, or is undergoing development. Training, mentoring, and/or succession planning elements should be considered if the program is repetitive or ongoing.
• Involvement of youth communities (i.e., STEM outreach, summer camps, water awareness workshops) in outreach activities.
• Sphere of outreach - local; regional; national; government influence.
• Demonstrated efforts to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

How to apply:

• Online Nomination Form
• One-page background information:
  • for category i award, pertinent biography of individual nominee(s)
  • for category ii award, history of MA, WEF Community, or related program nominee
  • for category iii award, description and history of utility, corporation, partnership, or group nominee(s).
• Specific reasons for nomination (one page maximum).
• A detailed narrative description of the activities or efforts, including the objectives, results, exceptional creativity, influence, use of resources, other remarkable features, accomplishments (three page maximum)
• Documented evidence of the individual's or program's results and lasting effects (one page maximum). Include pictures, videos, social media posts, or other mediums of outreach. 

WEF Membership Requirements for Application

If the Nominee for this award is an Individual, we require them to be a current (not expired) WEF Member.

If the Nominee for this award is a Member Association (MA) or Community, then a Member ID is not required.

If the Nominee for this award is a Utility, Corporation, Partnership, or Large Group, then a Member ID is not required.

Regardless of the Nominee, the Nominator must be a current (not expired) WEF member in order for the nominee to be considered for this award.

*If the nomination is being submitted by a Member Association (MA), Community/Committee, or Outside Organization, please indicate the MA, Community/Committee name, or Outside Organization name within the application in lieu of a WEF Member ID #.

If needed, contact WEF’s Customer Service Center for WEF Member ID information: csc@wef.org | 1-800-666-0206 | 703-684-2400 | International Members/Customers: 1-571-830-1545

Qualified Applicants:

• WEF Member Associations and Communities
• WEF Individual Members
• WEF Business and Corporate Members Committees
• Outside Organization (if the effort is led by a WEF Individual or Corporate Member)

Nominations Deadline:

Application will be available annually on January 15 and close annually on March 31 at 11:59PM (Eastern).