Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the most transformative and influential advances in water and water dependent sectors. The challenges facing the water sector continue to grow, and failure is not an option. Drinking water, power production, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, shipping, food and beverage production, pharmaceutical manufacturing – these services and products intrinsically depend on water. Innovation and collaboration will shape our ability to meet current and evolving challenges to water, power production, public and environmental health, and economic stability. The WRA Innovation & Collaboration Awards are an opportunity to recognize groundbreaking partnerships and projects that provide guidance, inspiration, and a road map during challenging times.
Nominations close July 31st for WRA’s 2025 Innovation & Collaboration Awards. Awards will be presented at our Value of Water Technical Event October 15th, 2025 at The University of Delaware’s STAR Campus.
Please submit nominations by July 31st to Skelly Holmbeck, Executive Director via email at ed@wradrb.org.
ELIGIBILITY
• Projects or concepts, the design, construction and/or implementation of which represent a substantial contribution to sound water resources management.
• Projects that demonstrate innovation, measurable impact, and potential for scale or to serve as a template for others facing similar challenges.
• Projects or concepts, the design, construction and/or implementation of which promote:
- Water and land conservation
- Stormwater management
- Extreme weather risk management, mitigation and emergency response
- Drinking water quality and reliability
- Advances in wastewater treatment or management
- Water sector, and water related sectors, workforce development
- Biodiversity
- Sustainability, and/or resilience
• The project or concept should represent an advancement of knowledge in water or water dependent sectors.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Innovation & Collaboration – Business and Industry Award: open to all who work and do business within the four-state Basin region, and who exemplify innovation and collaboration in advancing sound water management.
Innovation & Collaboration – Government Award: given to a governmental body or individual who has significantly contributed to sound water management through innovation and collaboration.
Innovation & Collaboration – Research: recognizes exemplary science that advances sustainability and resilience in water, extreme weather challenges, and related topics.
2024 Awardees can be found here, and previous Awardees can be found here.