The Global Water Partnership (GWP) has launched the Water ChangeMaker Awards to highlight the teams and organisations that have shaped water decisions to build climate resilience. Submissions close on 14 June 2020.

GWP have launched the awards together with about 20 partner organisations to achieve:

1. Recognition: of organisations and individuals that manage water in a climate resilient way;
2. Solutions: to help water practitioners address their water management challenges;
3. Collaboration: to promote and build a broader learning community.

Submissions can be in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. The submissions will be reviewed by an internationally recruited, independent jury led by water experts supported by the GWP Technical Committee. Winners will be announced including semi-finalists, finalists, and an overall winner. The Awards Ceremony will take place in the context of a climate-oriented event where winners will have special access to leaders in the climate community and become part of a learning cohort. In addition, winning entries will be featured in a publication to be launched in 2021.

The ChangeMaker Awards encourage submissions according to the following themes:

• Water Decisions in leveraging Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience;
• Building Integrity in Water Decisions;
• Mobilising Women as Change Makers for Water Decisions;
• Mobilising the Private Sector in supporting Water Decisions for Climate Resilience; and
• Mobilising Youth as Change Makers for Water Decisions.

The “journeys” towards such decisions will have involved:changing mindsets from inertia to action; speaking truth to power; building new coalitions; changing laws or policies; mobilising others to collaborate; and more.

CDKN is a knowledge partner of the Awards, helping to amplify the message and offer support and advice on the collaboration and learning aspects of the process. CDKN Director, Shehnaaz Moosa, said “it’s an ideal opportunity to not only celebrate your own success but to share it with other practitioners, because of what this will do, it will build a sort of community of practice”.

The Water ChangeMaker Awards is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and other GWP Financing Partners. For more information, visit: www.waterchangemakers.org