Category: NWB-Award

Grab your camera: the NWB Award 2026 is now open for entries

Are you involved in an international water management project? Then this is your chance to compete for the NWB Award 2026. Capture in a compelling video what ‘reciprocity’ means for your project and contend for the NWB Fund’s prize. The winner receives 5,000 euros for the winning project, a place on the Wall of Fame at the office of the Dutch Water Authorities in The Hague, and a feature in Waterkracht magazine.

Mobiele camera vastgehouden door 2 handen filmt landschap.

International work in the spotlight

The NWB Award is the NWB Fund’s prize for the most compelling video on international water management work. After all, water authorities do valuable work, not only in the Netherlands but far beyond, and that work deserves wider recognition. With the award, we put those stories in the spotlight, so that colleagues and partners across the sector know what is happening around the world.

The theme: reciprocity, an equal exchange

Those who go abroad to share knowledge often learn just as much in return. It is precisely in the encounter with another country, another culture and another way of working that both sides stand to gain. That is reciprocity: international collaboration is never a one-way street.

It is as much about what water professionals bring abroad as about what they take home. Think of fresh insights for their own water authority, or personal growth. And it is about equality: working together from the conviction that both partners have just as much to give as to gain. Show in your video how that comes to life in your project.

What the jury looks for

A panel of experts selects a shortlist from all the entries. The panel is made up of representatives of the NWB Fund and the Blue Deal programme office, together with a professional filmmaker. It is mostly about the story: a video that keeps you watching and that you share easily and enthusiastically, with a meaningful message about reciprocity that sticks. We are looking for amateur videos of no more than 2 minutes. So no professional productions, though a little help with editing, for example, is fine.

You help decide who wins

After the shortlist, it is up to the audience. The winner is chosen through a combination of worldwide digital voting in advance – open to all water authority employees and international partners – and the final choice made by the audience in the room during the ceremony on 8th October. Together, these decide who takes home the NWB Award 2026.

A tradition every other year

The NWB Fund has presented the award since 2022, and by now it has become a fine tradition that, from now on, takes places every other year. A brief look back at the previous winners:

The award ceremony

The award ceremony takes place on the afternoon of Thursday 8th October 2026 in Amersfoort, during the celebration of the NWB Fund’s 20th anniversary.

Take part!

Submit your video no later than 1st September 2026 via the link below.

Submit you entry

Questions? Get in touch with the NWB Fund’s programme office, via programme manager Marion Wierda (mwierda@uvw.nl).

The NWB Fund looks forward to receiving all your entries!

DWA Network Day

On November 27, Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) organised the DWA Network Day in Driebergen, with the central theme 'Water Knows No Boundaries.'

DWA Network Day

DWA coordinator Piebe Hoeksma opened the day with a plenary conversation with Luzette Kroon, board member of the Association of DWA. After a presentation by former Chief of the Defence Staff Tom Middendorp and the presentation of the NWB Award, there were theme sessions on the 4 main DWA themes: knowledge exchange, Europe, international projects/Blue Deal, and attractive employment. Approximately 120 employees, administrators, and foreign coordinators from within and outside the water authorities were present.

Importance of International Cooperation

“The water authorities are the least known government entities, but they enjoy the greatest trust,” Kroon opens her conversation. “80 percent of the Dutch trust that the water authorities keep our country, which is partly below sea level, dry. With Bureau Brussels, our representation in Europe, we also have a significant influence on Brussels policy. The international community is eager to learn from us. But we also face significant challenges, such as long periods of drought, extreme rainfall, and water pollution. These challenges are global: climate change is here, and it pays no attention to national borders. That’s why international cooperation is crucial, especially in the field of climate adaptation.”

Water at the Core of Sustainable Development Goals

Kroon is pleased that this year saw the first United Nations water conference. “This demonstrates that both the subject of water and international cooperation are high on the administrative agendas. The question now is: how do we ensure that this remains the case? I believe by continuing to emphasize the urgency. The Sustainable Development Goals mean nothing without water. International work also has significant added value for the water authorities it makes us more attractive as an employer.”

Water, Both Friend and Foe

The second keynote speaker has an impressive curriculum vitae: Tom Middendorp led the army for 38 years, was the first to put the climate on the agenda at Defence, and wrote the book Climate General, translated into five languages. “In the Netherlands, water is both our greatest friend and enemy at the same time,” he states in his presentation. “The economy owes much to our favourable location near water. At the same time, water is our greatest threat. Adaptation is in our genes due to these extremes.”

Reducing Water Dependency

Middendorp emphasizes our increasing dependence on water. “Look at production: a sheet of A4 paper requires a whopping 10 liters of water, and a T-shirt requires 4000 liters. And the demand for water continues to grow, partly due to population growth and our living standards. At the same time, water supply is decreasing due to increasingly longer periods of drought. We must reduce our water footprint and dependence on water through circularity: better reuse.”

Tensions Due to (Water) Scarcity

During his work abroad, Middendorp saw how scarcity of essential resources causes tensions between population groups. “Water scarcity causes conflicts and forces people to move. Through this phenomenon, I saw the connection between climate and security. Because climate change is closely related to water: to food shortages and the livability of areas. At Defense, I therefore put climate on the agenda and linked it to security.”

Giving Room to Innovation

“To resist increasingly extreme weather, we must collaborate,” says Middendorp. “We must give room to innovation, create a knowledge ecosystem, and collaborate across borders. The solution to these new water challenges lies in our innovation and adaptability.”

NWB Award 2023

The morning programme concluded with the presentation of the NWB Award 2023, the prize for the most compelling video about international water authorities work. After showing the shortlist, Luzette Kroon, as chair of the NWB Fund, announced the winner: ‘A strategic alliance for water conservation in the Chira Valley’ from Blue Deal Peru. They win €5000 for further research and an interview in Het Waterschap, the magazine of the Association of DWA. Kroon: “The videos provide a good insight into our work and show how many people are involved in international water authorities projects.”

Watch the video submissions for the NWB Award

Theme Sessions: Knowledge Sharing and Europe After the lunch break and networking opportunities, there were two rounds of theme sessions on the agenda. In each round, participants could join one of the four topics. In the Knowledge Sharing theme session, Petra Goessen, foreign coordinator at Dutch water authority Hollands Noorderkwartier, sought ideas for acquiring more knowledge from abroad. In the Europe theme session, Luc Kronenberg and Noa Hartog, lobbyists in Brussels on behalf of Vewin and the Association of DWA, explained what the Union does in Brussels and how the European Union operates.

Attractive Employment and International Projects

In the Attractive Employment theme session, Frank Tibben (intelligence manager at World Waternet) and Anne Maaike Koeneman (policy advisor international cooperation at Dutch water authority Drents Overijsselse Delta) showed why internationally oriented water experts choose water authorities as employers. In the Blue Deal/international projects theme session, Marion Wierda, programme manager at the NWB Fund, highlighted various international projects of the water authorities.