2026 IECA Awards
Each year, IECA honors members who are making a difference in the erosion and sediment control industry. These awards shine a spotlight on projects, programs, and professionals whose work shows exceptional quality, skill, and care for our environment. Winners will be celebrated at the 2026 IECA Annual Conference and Expo in Fort Worth, Texas. If you know an IECA member whose innovation, leadership, dedication, or hands-on expertise is making an impact, nominate them and help us share their story.
Nominations Close: 31 October 2025
Nomination Rules and Guidelines
- Nominators: Only current IECA members may nominate an individual, organization, project, or program for an award. Self-nominations are allowed.
- Nominees: Please refer to the award descriptions for eligibility criteria. Only current IECA members may be nominated for an award.
- Deadline: Nomination deadlines will be set each year by the Awards Committee. Deadlines are established each year to allow for promotion before the Annual Conference. Nominations are now open through 31 October 2025.
- Process for Submittal: Nominations must be submitted electronically. Links to the nomination forms can be found under the Award Descriptions below.
- Content: The content of a proposal varies according to the specific award. Two categories of content have been established: mandatory content and optional content. For both mandatory and optional material, the IECA Awards Committee reserves the right to validate the content of any nomination proposal, to request supplementary information from the nominator or, independently, seek any supplementary information it deems necessary in their review process.
- Mandatory Content - All nominations must contain an awards application with the completed contact information for the Nominator and Nominee and the mandatory content specified in each award category.
- Optional Content - The nominator may include optional content highlighting the attributes of the individual/project to supplement the mandatory content. The optional content is the nominator's opportunity to "make the case" for the nomination proposal for the award.
Awards
Environmental Excellence
Sustained Contributor
Outstanding Professional
Emerging Leaders (previously Young Professional Awards)
Sustained Partner
Contractor of the Year
Lifetime Achievement
IECA Education Awards
Technical Paper of the Year - awarded to the technical paper from the IECA Annual Conference that receives the highest peer review score from the IECA Conference Review Team. The paper is evaluated on research, support of the hypothesis, accurate and appropriate methods being used and identified, the collection of data, and the conclusion of the research.
Presenter of the Year - awarded to the presenter from the IECA Annual Conference who receives the highest score from classroom evaluations. A minimum of 20 evaluations must be submitted to be considered for this award. The presenter is evaluated on knowledge, technical accuracy, preparedness and communication in the subject matter. Additionally, the presentation is evaluated on meeting the learning outcomes, educating the audience on the chosen subject matter and motivating attendees to try new processes and procedures in their work environment.