International Water Association Project Innovation Awards

Eligibility

Awarded biennially at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, the Project Innovation Awards (PIAs) recognise and promote excellence and innovation in water management, research and technology.

Water underpins every aspect of human and environmental existence. The severe water challenges facing the world today require an unprecedented global response. Innovation plays a central role in achieving IWA’s vision of a world in which water is managed wisely to satisfy the needs of human activities and ecosystems in an equitable and sustainable way.

The Project Innovation Awards recognise that our shared challenges can be overcome through the development and implementation of creative water solutions.

Eligibility: The PIAs are open to applications from individuals, companies, organisations, public bodies or any combination of the above. Applicants do not have to be members of IWA.

2026 Call for entries

Summary

There are six Project Innovation Award categories, with each category celebrating excellence in a specific field within the water sector. An esteemed panel of experts will assess submissions from each category. The winner in each category will receive a gold award, and the two runners-up will receive silver and bronze awards. Gold award winners will be considered for the IWA Grand Innovation Award.

Market-changing Water Technology & Infrastructure: This award celebrates innovations in water and wastewater technologies and infrastructure, which embrace forward- thinking applications and solutions to advance clean and safe water goals. These solutions can range from specific technologies to innovative approaches.

Breakthroughs in Research and Development: Research is the powerhouse of disruptive and breakthrough innovation. This award celebrates research that is challenging existing markets and addressing future needs to create new opportunities. It is open to research of all types, as well as early-stage business projects that are not yet market-ready.

Governance, Institutions and Social Enterprise: This award celebrates social innovation, social enterprise, and social entrepreneurship and their contribution to sustainable water management. In addition, it recognizes innovations in governance and institutional transitions and the role this plays in supporting the circular and digital water economies.

Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions: Original thinking is essential for overcoming long-term challenges and delivering solutions for the future. This award celebrates new and innovative approaches that improve performance, efficiency, resilience, and sustainability               in water operations and maintenance.

Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery: Innovation in the execution of water projects is critical for the sector. This award celebrates projects that developed and implemented creative practices during their execution, excellent client relationships beyond expectations, and outstanding responses to unexpected difficulties.

Smart Systems and the Digital Water Economy: This award celebrates digital solutions with the potential to reshape the water sector. Harnessing and aligning this technology between the physical and digital worlds creates a smarter way of managing and protecting water resources and building a water-wise society. 

Application deadlines

Program application deadline