Awards of Excellence
Nominations for EECOM’s Awards of Excellence in Environmental Education and Communication are currently closed.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for EECOM’s Awards of Excellence in Environmental Education and Communication!
The nomination period is now closed, and our selection process is underway. Award recipients will be notified directly and recognized at upcoming conferences or national events co-hosted by our partners.
We encourage you to consider nominating yourself or a distinguished leader in environmental and sustainability education and communication for the next cycle.
Want to stay informed about when nominations open again? Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates and announcements.
The EECOM Awards of Excellence in Environmental Education and Communication are given out in eight separate categories:
- Outstanding Organization;
- Outstanding Individual in an Organization;
- Outstanding Educator;
- Outstanding Early Childhood Educator;
- Outstanding K-12 Class, School, or School District;
- Outstanding Post-Secondary Educator;
- Outstanding Post-Secondary Institution, Department, Program, or Club;
- Outstanding Youth Action (Leader or Organization).
Nominations in each award category are judged according to the following five criteria:
Judging for the EECOM Awards of Excellence in Environmental Education and Communication is done by a committee of volunteer EECOM members.
Commitment
Shows commitment to the advancement of environmental education and communication.
Impact
Demonstrates a tangible (and potentially lasting) impact as an agent of change.
Mentorship
Evidence of fostering environmental understandings, ethics, skills, and/or actions in others.
Innovation
Displays courage and originality in the design, realization, and development of environmental education and communication.
Collaboration
Collaborates with other individuals, communities, organizations, etc.
Nomination forms are completed online
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Organization
Awarded to an organization (governmental, NGO, non-profit, or private) that has significantly contributed to an environmental education or communication project. The project which the organization contributed to should have:
- demonstrated an increase in public awareness about the environment and/or acted as a catalyst to foster environmental education or communication initiatives;
- had a scope ranging from in-house to national or international;
- shown concrete results;
- resulted in clearly describable outcomes in terms of engagement with its target audience and/or its contributions to knowledge/research in environmental education or communication.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Individual in an Organization
Awarded to an individual who is associated with an organization (governmental, NGO, non-profit, or private), and who has made significant contributions to environmental education or communication in one or more of the following ways:
- made visible contributions to environmental education or communication research, innovations, curricula, legislation, or similar;
- demonstrated outstanding environmental actions, positions or stances with respect to environmental education or communication;
- shown excellence in reporting or communicating environmental issues for the purpose of public education.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Educator
Awarded to an individual who is working as a formal (K-12) or informal (outdoor/community-based) educator, and who has successfully developed and/or carried out transformative environmental education or communication programs, which may have included:
- fostered a greater understanding of ecological principles or environmental issues;
- fostered environmental ethics;
- re-imagined curriculum to incorporate environmental and outdoor learning;
- developed skills;
- implemented environmental action projects.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Early Childhood Educator
Awarded to an individual who is working as an early childhood educator, and who has successfully developed and/or carried out environmental education or communication initiatives or projects, which may have included:
- implemented environmental action projects that aim to reduce energy and/or resource consumption;
- developed nature-exploration themed educational activities that aim to increase children’s connection to nature and respect the environment;
- re-designed outdoor play spaces that prioritize natural elements, including natural play materials (wood, soil, plants, and similar).
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding K-12 Class, School, or School District
Awarded to a class, school, or school district that has gone above and beyond the call of duty by developing and implementing innovative environmental education or communication programs, which may have included:
- fostered a greater understanding of ecological principles or environmental issues;
- fostered environmental ethics;
- developed skills;
- implemented environmental action projects.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Post-Secondary Educator
Awarded to an individual who is working as a post-secondary educator, and who has successfully developed and/or carried out transformative environmental education or communication programs, which may have included:
- fostered a greater understanding of ecological principles or environmental issues;
- fostered environmental ethics;
- re-imagined curriculum to incorporate environmental and outdoor learning;
- developed skills;
- implemented environmental action projects.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Post-Secondary Institution, Department, Program, or Club
Awarded to a post-secondary educational institution, or a department, program, or club at a post-secondary institution, that has demonstrated excellence in developing and implementing innovative environmental education or communication programming, which may have included:
- Developed specific courses, unique projects, or an on-going commitment to environmental education;
- fostered a greater understanding of ecological principles or environmental issues;
- fostered environmental ethics;
- developed skills;
- implemented environmental action projects;
- reduced the human use of energy or resources.
2022-2023 Award of Excellence
Outstanding Youth Action (Leader or Organization)
Awarded to an individual who is under the age of 30, or to an organization that is led by individual(s) under the age of 30, who/which has taken leadership or significant action in regards to an environmental education or communication initiative, which may have included:
- fostered a greater understanding of ecological principles or environmental issues;
- fostered of environmental ethics;
- developed skills;
- implemented environmental action projects.