ALEXANDRIA, VA, March 22, 2013 -- In celebration of World Water Day 2013, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA) proudly announce the winners of the fourth annual World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC) Water Champion Awards. Today also marks the start of the program's 2013 monitoring period that will run through Dec. 31, 2013.
Initiated in 2009, the WWMC Water Champion Awards recognize program participants for outstanding achievement in boosting awareness of water quality issues. Winners are chosen by a subcommittee of the WWMC regional panel of judges, which is composed of water industry professionals from around the world.
Water Champion Awards recognize superior levels of relevance, educational effort, support and innovation in the promotion of water quality through the WWMC program. The 2012 winners, announced today, include the following:
Africa
Pedagogic In-Service Training Programme (Group, Cameroon) and Dawid DeWet (Individual, South Africa)
Asia
NatureWize (Group, China) and Minakshi Arora (Individual, India)
Australia/Oceania
Seqwater (Group, Australia) and Wollondilly Anglican College (Group Runner-up, Australia)
Europe
Animex Foods (Group, Poland) and Municipal Center for Extracurricular Activities (Group Runner-up, Bulgaria)
North America
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Environmental Education (Group, United States) and Jackie Turner (Individual, United States)
South America
Club de Ciencias Bénticos (Group, Uruguay) and Rogério Lafayette Pinto (Individual, Brazil)
Award recipients will receive a commemorative plaque and WWMC materials of their choosing up to a value of US $500. Items selected may include any combination of water monitoring equipment, relevant resources, or promotional materials.
Coordinated by WEF and IWA, WWMC is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. The annual program connects citizens with their local water bodies through a series of simple, hands-on monitoring tests.
Over a quarter-million visits were made by people worldwide to their local streams, rivers, lakes and other water bodies as part of WWMC in 2012. WWMC receives financial and in-kind support from the program's primary sponsors including the U.S. Geological Survey, Xylem Inc. and Smithfield Foods.
For more details about the award winners and how to participate in WWMC 2013, please visit www.MonitorWater.org. For more details about World Water Day and this year's commemorative activities, please visit www.WorldWaterDay.org.
About WEF
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF members, Member Associations and staff proudly work to achieve our mission to provide bold leadership, champion innovation, connect water professionals, and leverage knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide. To learn more, visit www.wef.org.
About IWA
The International Water Association (IWA) is a global reference point for water professionals, spanning the continuum between research and practice and covering all facets of the water cycle. Through its network of members and experts in research, practice, regulation, industry, consulting and manufacturing, IWA is in a better position than any other organization to help water professionals create innovative, pragmatic and sustainable solutions to challenging global needs. www.iwahq.org.
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