At all stages of the supply chain, the industry is pioneering effective alliances and partnerships between water companies, contractors and sub-contractors. Working closely through partnerships can produce major improvements in efficiency, customer service and overall performance. Best practice will be recognised for alliances and partnerships that produce efficiency gains, safer work sites, clearer tendering and products supply, and more effective buying solutions.

The efficient and effective management of assets is critical to the water sector. Making the most of existing assets has long been a core focus of the industry but opportunities for implementing more effective strategies are growing with the proliferation of new technologies. This award will recognise entries that show an ability to deliver clear improvements in asset management, whether by reducing costs, cutting the number of incidents or otherwise improving efficiency.

A sustainable future for the water sector must be based on the principles of a circular economy – one which recycles and recovers resources to maximise value for society and the economy. This award celebrates those organisations, projects and teams that can demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to these commitments.

This category is for breakthroughs in customer satisfaction - what water companies, contractors or sub-contractors are doing to delight their customers, above and beyond their statutory requirements and capital investment programmes. It is about the action taken and being prepared to go the extra mile to ensure customers receive the best service, and best experience of the water sector, possible.

The water sector can only deliver on its commitments by working in collaboration with partners. This award celebrates the contractors, engineering consultants and supply chain partners supporting the sector in everything it does.

Digitalisation – the fourth industrial revolution - is driving a step-change in the water industry. Sophisticated data analytics, cloud computing and artificial intelligence are transforming the sector, enabling efficiency gains, customer benefit, safer working, cost reductions and more sustainable outcomes.

Diversity and inclusion have never been more important – and while the water sector has seen some fantastic initiatives in recent years, it still has a mountain to climb. This award recognises companies that are going above and beyond with initiatives designed to celebrate and support diversity and inclusion in all its guises.

The award is aimed at organisations that show commitment to building a fair and inclusive culture for all and represents the full spectrum of human demographic differences- race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status or physical disability.

Safe, clean drinking water is vital to public health and the wellbeing of society. This category rewards the leading technical, process or management innovation designed to solve water quality and treatment challenges that was carried out in 2024. Judges will look for cost-effectiveness and sustainability issues associated with treatment, as well as innovative technologies and solutions.

Product and process innovation is vital if the water industry is to achieve its ambitions across various areas including customer service, value for money and environmental standards. This award is for a product or technology that is truly ground-breaking and has made its mark in the industry for the first time in 2024.

The health and safety of the public and their own workforces remains at the top of the agenda for all companies operating within the water sector. This award recognises exceptional commitment to health and safety by a company or organisation that has gone above and beyond statutory requirements, setting new standards for the industry to follow.

Stretching targets and the increasing sophistication of technology have helped to make significance in-roads into leakage rates across the water sector. However, the proliferation of leaks across the water network remains a cause of concern and one of the most high profile metrics on how the sector is performing. This category recognises the leading technical, process or management innovation designed to tackle leakage that was carried out in the last year.

This award recognizes outstanding performance by a New Appointments and Variations (NAV) company. In particular, we are looking for evidence of innovative solutions, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. We are also seeking evidence of collaboration and a desire to go above and beyond regulatory requirements.

Protecting natural capital is at the core of the water sector’s purpose - leaving the environment in a better state than before and mitigating the impacts of climate change. This award is for going above and beyond normal practice and continued and ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental improvement. This relates not just to the natural environment an organisation holds in trust but also in its own practices and operations. This award will recognise continued, ongoing and exceptional commitment to and impact on natural capital, externally and internally to its own operations and culture.

The water sector has set itself a challenging target of reaching net zero by 2030, driving game-changing innovation across all parts of the water business. This award recognises a project or initiative that has demonstrated measurable progress in achieving net zero carbon emissions.

The water sector faces a well-documented challenge to recruit and retain the skills necessary to deliver on its stretching commitments. This award recognises those companies going above and beyond to offer training and development for their staff and presenting a compelling argument for building a career in the water sector.

Pollution is at the top of the water sector’s agenda, with companies actively seeking new ways to manage and mitigate pollution incidents. This category rewards cutting-edge approaches to pollution mitigation. The judges will look for evidence of solutions that are innovative, effective and sustainable, and that have achieved results for customers, the environment and the community.

New blood is essential in the water industry, not only to boost staffing levels but to provide new energy and ideas. This award will recognise a relative newcomer to the industry who has made their mark through their ideas, approach, and hard work.

Water networks are changing. Digital approaches to asset management and the potential for devices to communicate with one another are creating new, smarter ways of managing water networks, with huge benefits for customers, the environment and water companies themselves. This award will recognise a leading project in the emerging field of smart water and wastewater networks – one blazing a trail for others to follow.

This category recognises outstanding projects within the wastewater sector that have demonstrated excellence in innovation, sustainability, and operational effectiveness. This award highlights projects that have gone above and beyond regulatory requirements and can show they are mindful of environmental and societal challenges.

As climate change bites and water use in the home increases, the sector has an urgent and critical role to play in driving ambitious and effective water efficiency. This award will recognise the company or partnership that demonstrates measurable and significant impact on water efficiency; a commitment to a water-saving culture in its own workforce and its customers; understanding and supporting customers to use water wisely; innovating and using water-efficient devices; and promoting water re-use or water recycling.

The role of water retailers in supporting business customers to improve their water efficiency and save money has never been more important. As the market approaches the ninth year since competition was introduced, the expectations on water retailers are higher than ever and firms know they will need to find ever more innovative solutions to meet customer needs.

This award recognises companies that have found fresh ways to support customers and run more efficient business. We will be looking for evidence of strong engagement strategies, clever use of data and technology and tariff innovation.

Companies should also be able to evidence strong social, environmental and governance initiatives and the willingness to collaborate with both the supply chain and the wider water sector to tackle common challenges.