NWEA Individual Awards – Nomination Guidelines

About the Awards

NWEA recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding service, leadership, achievement, and contributions to the water and wastewater profession.

Nominations are accepted for the following awards:

NWEA Association Awards

• Wastewater Professional of the Year

• Young Professional of the Year

• Rookie of the Year

• Public Official of the Year

• Lifetime Service

• Presidential Service Award

WEF Member-Association (MA) Awards

• Bedell

• Burke

• Hatfield

• Laboratory Analyst

• Quarter Century Operator Club

Additional information regarding WEF Member-Association Awards is available at:
https://www.wef.org/membership--community/membership-center/wef-member-associations/ma-resource-center/ma-awards/

Who Can Submit a Nomination?

Any current dues-paying NWEA member may submit a nomination.

Self-nominations are allowed.

Individuals may nominate a colleague, industry professional, or themselves for an applicable award.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an NWEA Award, the nominee must be a dues-paid member of NWEA.

To be eligible for a WEF Award, the nominee must be a dues-paid member of WEF.

Current in-office NWEA Board members are not eligible; however, current NWEA Committee members are eligible.

Applicants and nominators should review the specific eligibility requirements for the award they are applying for before submitting a nomination.

What to Include With Your Nomination

Please submit a complete nomination package containing the following:

• Completed nomination form specific to the award.

• One-page nomination letter summarizing the nominee's accomplishments.

• Up to 3 letters of support (optional, maximum 2 pages each).

• Résumé or CV (maximum 3 pages) for individual awards; facility fact sheet for the Burke Award.

• Relevant supporting materials, including project descriptions, photos, publications, or other applicable documentation (maximum 10 pages).

Applicants are encouraged to provide information that clearly demonstrates how the nominee meets the criteria of the selected award.

How to Submit

All nomination materials should be combined and submitted as one PDF.

Submission Method: TBD
Nomination Deadline: Second Friday of November
Deadline Time: 5:00 PM PST

Late or incomplete nomination packages will not be considered.

Nomination Timeline

DateNomination Process

First Monday of OctoberNominations open and individual award criteria and nomination forms become available.

First Monday of NovemberNomination reminder.

Second Friday of NovemberNomination deadline.

November–DecemberEligible nominations are reviewed and scored.

DecemberAward selections are finalized.

TBDAwards are presented at the NWEA Annual Meeting.

How Nominations Are Evaluated

Eligible nominations will be independently evaluated using the established criteria for each award.

Nominees are scored using a 0–10 scale for each applicable criterion:

• 0 = Not Evident

• 10 = Exceptional

Scores are weighted according to the criteria established for each award.

The nomination package should clearly describe the nominee's accomplishments, contributions, service, and other qualifications relevant to the award.

All nomination materials and scoring information are kept confidential throughout the selection process.

Award Selection

Following the nomination deadline, complete nomination packages will be reviewed for eligibility and evaluated using the established award criteria.

Final award recipients will be selected following completion of the review and approval process.

Selected recipients will be recognized at the NWEA Annual Meeting.