2023 Environmental Excellence Awards 

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2023 WEDA ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 

Awards will be presented during the July 2023 WEDA Dredging Summit and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

View/Download Process and Criteria

Applications should be submitted in PDF format by May 5, 2023, to Craig Vogt, Chair of WEDA’s Environmental Commission, at Craig@CraigVogt.com. 

IMPORTANT: 2023 Changes

1. The three award categories have changed. The 2023 categories:
   • Partnerships and Outreach/Education
   • Innovation
   • Sustainability and Carbon Reduction/Management
2. Both dredging projects and programs are now eligible. 

Objective

The 2023 WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards will recognize projects or programs for their outstanding contribution to meeting the goals of WEDA, which include:

To promote communication and understanding of environmental issues and stimulate new solutions associated with dredging and placement of dredged materials such that the projects, including navigation, environmental, and adaptation to climate change, are accomplished in an efficient manner that meet internationally recognized environmental goals.

Dredging is essential to maintaining and improving our quality of life, economic well-being, and human and ecosystem health. This is achieved through creating and maintaining marine and freshwater infrastructure, ensuring the reliability of water-based supply chains, cleaning up contaminated sediments, contributing to the enhancement and creation of wetlands and marshes, working with communities to build resilient shorelines, providing minerals and construction materials, supporting sustainable offshore energy production, and enhancing the environment.

The objective of the WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards is to recognize the very best projects or programs that promote, build, or contribute to quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. For programs (e.g., a Port Authority Sediment Management Program), awards may be awarded based on the substantial demonstration of benefit(s). They should not rely exclusively on projections or presumed future success.

The 2023 Awards

Eligible Projects or Programs

Projects or programs include such dredging actions as navigation (maintenance and deepening), reservoir dredging, sediment remediation, ecosystem restoration, building shoreline resiliency projects, or sustainable offshore energy production. These may contribute to reducing risks and enhancing the resilience of shorelines and coastlines, inland and marine water resources, waterways, and infrastructure. Other important possible benefits include reducing the degradation of natural habitats, halting the loss of biodiversity, and protecting and preventing the extinction of endangered or threatened species. 

Applicants Pick One Category

Three WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards will be given, one for each of the three categories listed below. Each application should specify only one category.

The Three Categories

(1) Partnerships and Outreach/Education

This category recognizes complex programs or projects that achieve environmental benefits while working in multi-stakeholder partnerships. It recognizes the collaboration of a wide range of professional groups, kindred associations, government agencies, communities, and stakeholder groups with disparate interests that identify, share, and implement effective solutions which consider economic, societal, and environmental conditions. These partnerships contribute through enhanced communication, sharing knowledge and expertise, building mutual trust, and cooperation within the broader dredging community. Public education and outreach to local communities and to the general public are essential. For example:

• What specific issues were dealt with by the partnership activities?
• How did the partnership contribute to the success of the project?
• How were outreach programs structured and implemented?

(2) Innovation

This category recognizes excellence in innovation in dredging and marine construction projects, essentially achieving project goals in an improved manner and providing benefits to the project, the company, the sponsor, and larger societal interests. This category includes actions that advance and promotes innovation, dredging knowledge, and best practices, and share these within and beyond the dredging community. For example,

• How does this project show leadership and take steps beyond "traditional" dredging techniques and environmental protection efforts?
• Did the project “break new ground” in addressing the dredging and environmental challenges?
•  What methods, technologies, or approaches (including partnerships) were used?
• What sustainable approaches were applied?

An example of innovative approaches: natural systems and nature-based infrastructure (e.g., beaches, dunes, barrier islands, wetlands, and reefs) serve a critical role in supporting resilient coastal systems.

(3) Sustainability and Carbon Reduction/Management

This category recognizes projects or programs that promote carbon management approaches that include total carbon footprint inventories and carbon budgets to highlight energy efficiency and carbon reduction. The first step is to determine the carbon footprint of baseline operations. From establishing that benchmark, reduction approaches can focus on equipment, processes, and fuels that could support reduced air emissions. For example, these carbon management approaches would be integral to:

• Design and implementation of dredging projects
• Optimization of dredging processes
• Innovations in the design of dredging vessels and equipment
• Emerging technologies related to improved efficiencies
• Switching to low-carbon alternative fuels--an important component of any reduction goals
• Continuous identification of opportunities to control carbon emissions.

The overall objective is to minimize energy consumption, reduce the carbon footprint at the work site or for the overall project, and to reduce environmental impact. 

In this category, WEDA is especially interested in quantitative evaluations (i.e., tons of carbon) of:

• Carbon inventories,
• Carbon emission reductions, and
• The capture of carbon (i.e., sinks or sequestration) through wetlands and habitat creation or enhancement or other innovative measures.

Of special interest would be the use of carbon footprint inventories and carbon budgets for parts of the project or the entire project (e.g., the dredge itself, the associated armada of vessels, such as tugboats, service vessels, and monitoring vessels, and the disposal or placement of dredged material). Carbon reduction or sequestration should be presented in tons over the lifetime of the project or per year (as appropriate).

Project/Program Ranking Criteria

All submissions of Projects/Programs will be ranked within their respective categories based on universal criteria plus categorical criteria specific to each award category. The scores of the universal and the categorical criteria will be added together to determine each of the three award winners.

Universal Project/Program Ranking Criteria (These apply to all submissions, 60 point)

Environmental benefits (30 points)

• What are the environmental benefits?
• What unique environmental challenges were addressed?
• Were any mitigation measures adopted? If so, list the measures.
• Did the project incorporate the principles within the approaches of working with nature or engineering with nature?

Economic benefits (15 points)

• Explain implementation of cost-effective methods, procedures, or practices in terms of environmental protection efforts. Were there project efficiencies?  Were there any specific cost-saving or economic enhancement components of the project?
• What are the socio-economic aspects of the project, e.g., positive impacts to the quality of life to stakeholders?
• How does the project contribute to the economy?

Transferability (15 points)

• Are the project characteristics and lessons learned transferable and can they be used by others addressing similar environmental issues?
• Are the best practices and/or methodologies for the project category (partnerships/education, innovation, or carbon reduction) transferrable?

Categorical Project/Program Ranking Criteria (Choose only one of the criteria below to apply to each submission)

Partnerships and Outreach/Education (40 Points)

• Describe the partnerships established for project or program activities.
• What mechanisms were used to involve the broad array of stakeholders?
• Describe how the partnerships contributed to the success/accomplishments of the project or program.
• What public education and/or community outreach activities were undertaken?
• How will the public and/or local community benefit above and beyond the benefits of dredging alone?

Innovation (40 points)

• How does this project or program show leadership and take steps beyond "traditional" environmental protection and improvement efforts?
• Did the project “break new ground” in addressing the environmental challenges?
• What new methods, technologies, or approaches were used?
• What sustainable approaches were applied?
• How did the innovations contribute to the sustainable solution of the project?

Sustainability and Carbon Reduction/Management (40 points)

• Did the project “break new ground” in addressing sustainability and carbon reduction challenges? Was a carbon footprint determined?
• What methods, technologies, or approaches were used to reduce the carbon emissions?
• What methods, technologies, or approaches were used to capture/sequester carbon?
• What was the net reduction of carbon emissions (mass, in tons)?
• Was sustainability achieved in other ways (outside of carbon considerations)?

Process and General Criteria

All three awards will be announced and presented during the WEDA Luncheon on July 18, 2023, at the WEDA Dredging Summit and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

• Recognition will include a plaque, a press release, a special highlight on the WEDA website, and the opportunity to present the project/program via a WEDA hosted webinar.
• The awards will be for a project or program, and team members will be recognized. The preference is for all team members to be WEDA members; however, to qualify, at least one of the team members must be a WEDA member in good standing.
• The project or program must be related to dredging or marine engineering, consistent with WEDA’s mission, which includes the promotion of sustainable work methods and infrastructure.
• The project or program must not have been completed more than three years from the date of the award application. For longer-term projects, specific increments or phases must have been completed to be eligible for consideration.
• Projects or programs can be resubmitted if they were not selected for the WEDA Environmental Excellence Award in the previous two years.
• Summaries of the Award-winning projects or programs, as written in the applications, will be included in a press release and possibly in a newsletter or other electronic communication.
• All applications will be included as submitted on the WEDA website, after the July 2023 Las Vegas Dredging Summit. Submission of an application grants permission to WEDA for these actions.
• A representative of each award application is expected to attend the WEDA July 2023 Las Vegas Dredging Summit. Presentation of a technical paper about the project or program is encouraged by a representative.
• Posters are required from all applicants. Please bring a poster (e.g., 24 inches by 36 inches or 50-60 cm by 70-80 cm) to illustrate the project or program to attendees at the Las Vegas Dredging Summit. The intention is to enhance all attendees’ understanding of the project or program, the teams, and the project or program accomplishments. Posters will be displayed in the foyer near the exhibit hall. If you want to keep the poster, please make arrangements to take it home with you.
• While projects or programs will be awarded based upon their merits using the ranking criteria provided above, the WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards Review Team greatly appreciates an application that is well formatted, easy to read, and explains how the project or program qualifies based on each ranking criterion.
• The WEDA Environmental Excellence Awards Review Team are members of WEDA’s Environmental Commission. 

Applications 

Applications must be submitted in English.

Applications should clearly identify one award category:

1. Partnerships and Outreach/Education,
2. Innovation, or
3. Sustainability and Carbon Reduction/Management.

• A 5-part outline is strongly recommended as a basis for submissions.
  • First, present a brief description of the project or program, including the environmental setting and issues and the sponsor(s) and the stakeholder’s roles. Team members should be identified, as should the WEDA member(s).
  • The four remaining parts of the submission should follow the 4 applicable ranking criteria topics described above (3 universal and 1 categorical).
• The text/narrative portion of submissions should be concise to the extent feasible, with a maximum of approximately 4 pages (exclusive of photos/graphics).
• Applications are due May 5, 2023. Send in PDF format to Craig@CraigVogt.com.

2022 Environmental Excellence Award Winners

2021 Virtual Dredging Summit Awards 

Click to read the WODA Statement on Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change

2019 Environmental Excellence Awards

Press Release: Winners Announced for the 2019 Environmental Excellence Awards 

In 2019, two awards were made: one for an environmental dredging project and one for Adaptation or Mitigation to Climate Change. These Awards were presented at the Dredging Summit & Expo '19 in Chicago, IL for projects and their team members that best meet the goals of WEDA's Environmental Commission: 

2018 Environmental Excellence Awards

Press Release: Winners Announced for the 2018 Environmental Excellence Awards 

In 2018, three awards were made: one for a navigation dredging project, one for an environmental dredging project and one for Adaptation or Mitigation to Climate Change. These Awards were presented at the Dredging Summit & Expo '18 in Norfolk, VA for projects and their team members that best meet the goals of WEDA's Environmental Commission: 

2017 Environmental Excellence Awards

Press Release: Winners Announced for the 2017 Environmental Excellence Awards 

In 2017, three awards were made: one for a navigation dredging project, one for an environmental dredging project and one for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change. These Awards were presented at the Dredging Summit & Expo '17 in Vancouver for projects and their team members that best meet the goals of WEDA's Environmental Commission: 

2016 WODA Environmental Excellence Awards 

Press Release: Winners Announced for the 2016 Environmental Excellence Awards 

This year, The World Organization of Dredging Associations (WODA), during the gala dinner of its triennial international conference in Miami, proudly presented four Environmental Excellence Awards in two categories, Environmental Dredging and Dredging for Coastal Reinforcement. 

2015 Environmental Excellence Awards

Press Release: Winners Announced for the 2015 Environmental Excellence Awards | View Criteria

In 2015, two awards were made: one for a navigation dredging project and one for an environmental dredging project. These Awards were presented at the Dredging Summit & Expo in Houston for projects and their team members that best meet the goals of WEDA's Environmental Commission: 

Previous Environmental Excellence Awards

• Download the Press Releases, Award Citations & Winning Nominations
• 2013 Environmental Excellence Awards
• 2012 Environmental Excellence Awards
• 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards