2026 RBMS Awards & Nominations
Recognising excellence in waterway management across Australia
Nominations deadline on 5th June!
Celebrate the best in our industry
The RBMS Awards recognise the outstanding work being done across integrated catchment management in Australia — from on-the-ground projects to graduate research, community engagement to Indigenous knowledge and practice.
If you or your team have done work worth celebrating, we want to hear about it. Nominations are open to all, and the process is straightforward.
Award Categories
Outstanding Waterway Management Project
Recognising a project that has delivered outstanding river basin management outcomes on the ground.
Innovation in Waterway Management
Recognising a novel technology, process, business model or partnership that tangibly advances the industry.
Involving Community in Waterway Management
Recognising outstanding community engagement, input or collaboration that has enhanced project or partnership outcomes.
Building Knowledge in Waterway Management
Recognising an academic or knowledge-transfer project that builds and shares knowledge to advance the industry.
Advancing Waterway Management through Graduate Research
Recognising an Honours, Masters or PhD research project that directly advances waterway management.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge and Practice in Waterway Management
Recognising a project or partnership in which traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and practice is paramount to outcomes.
How to nominate
Nominations are submitted via our online form. Before you start, here’s what you’ll need:
A project title (max 80 characters) and short project summary (max 300 characters) for use in promotional materials
A description of your nomination for the judging panel (max 2,000 characters)
Responses to the three judging criteria for your chosen award category (max 3,000 characters each)
Details of your organisation and key partners
At least one high-resolution image (up to three, max 10MB each)
Confirmation that at least one representative will attend the Awards Gala
Nominations Guide
Key Eligibility Requirements
The nomination must be submitted by someone with a lead role in the project.
The majority of the project, partnership, research or tool being nominated for an award must have been undertaken since July 2023.
A project may only be nominated for one award category.
Previous RBMS Award winners are ineligible to resubmit those same nominations.
At least one representative must be registered to attend the Awards Gala. Please note support grants are available to support attendance by First Nations people, community group volunteers and students.
Additional eligibility criteria are outlined in the nomination guide.
Ready to nominate?
The work you’re doing matters. Take a few minutes to put it forward and give your team, your partners and your community the recognition they deserve.