NSW Award Categories
Award Categories
NSW AWARD CATEGORIES
Entries are now closed!
The NSW Sustainability Awards celebrates and honours trailblazers and innovators who are dedicated to creating a more sustainable future for NSW. It is an opportunity to showcase your remarkable efforts and contributions towards sustainability. The NSW Sustainability Awards reflect the goals of the Banksia Foundation and NSW Office of Energy and Climate Change (OECC).
Finalists will be announced November 9th, with the Awards Presentation happening on December 7th at the Maritime Museum, Sydney. Tickets to be released soon.
Minister’s Young Climate Champion
The Minister’s Young Climate Champion Award recognises young innovators aged under 18 years who bring bold ideas for a safe and thriving climate future that align with any of the UN SDGs. Young and passionate minds who have taken outstanding actions that benefit the sustainability of their communities and help address climate change will be showcased in this award, celebrating young people with drive, commitment and a passion for sustainability and the environment.
Biodiversity Award
The Biodiversity Award celebrates achievements in conservation, habitat restoration, and species protection. It recognises individuals, organisations and initiatives leading the way in sustainable management practices, ecosystem rehabilitation, and innovative research and technology for preserving biodiversity. This prestigious accolade highlights their remarkable contributions to safeguarding and promoting the richness of nature.
Climate Technology Impact Award
The Climate Technology Impact Award celebrates outstanding achievements in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. This award recognises start-ups and/or scale-up business who have lab-proven innovative technologies that has the potential of significantly addressing climate change mitigation, adaptation, or resilience. Some examples of technological innovation include, but are not limited to renewable energy, energy efficiency, land and agriculture, powerfuels including hydrogen, built environment and digital innovation such as smart grid enhancement.
Communications for Impact Award
The Communications for Impact Award celebrates initiatives that demonstrate exceptional creativity and innovation in marketing and/or communication while effectively conveying sustainability messages. The entries must successfully engage stakeholders and drive behaviour change, ultimately generating positive environmental and social impacts.
Circular Economy Award
The Circular Economy Award celebrates excellence in circular product innovation and/or incorporating circularity in sustainable business leadership. Successful entrants will be based on their tangible efforts to drive a more circular system and/or their successful implementation of technologies, initiatives, projects, or partnerships that have effectively unleashed circular solutions.
Large Business Sustainable Leadership Award
The Large Business Sustainability Leadership Award celebrates exceptional commitment and achievements in integrating sustainable practices across its operations. It sets ambitious sustainability goals, implements innovative strategies, engages stakeholders, reduces environmental impact, promotes social responsibility, and contributes to a more sustainable future working towards its SDG targets.
Net Zero Action Award
The Net Zero Leadership Award celebrates organisations driving net zero action through embodying a comprehensive sustainability approach within their organisation. This award recognises achieving emission reduction across scopes 1-3, resource conservation and waste management, honouring those showcasing urgency, transparency, and meaningful investments in achieving a net zero future.
Placemaking Award
The Placemaking Award celebrates infrastructure and built environment projects that prioritise sustainability through innovative design and practices. These initiatives demonstrate resource conservation, energy efficiency, circularity, renewable energy adoption, and biodiversity preservation, while emphasising social sustainability, inclusivity, mobility, well-being, and community engagement.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Award
The Primary Industries and Regional Development Award celebrates innovators in sustainable agriculture and regional development in NSW. It honours individuals, organisations, and communities driving resilient agricultural systems, promoting sustainability in rural areas, and addressing social and economic challenges. Recognising their commitment to food security, biodiversity preservation, and climate change mitigation, as well as addressing social and economic challenges in regional areas.
Responsible Supply Award
The Responsible Supply Award celebrates organisations, projects and initiatives that have implemented robust and transparent systems and strategies to assess, measure and address both human rights and environmental impacts within an organisation’s supply chains, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
SME Sustainable Leadership Award
The SME Sustainable Leadership Award recognises exceptional achievements by small and medium enterprises that integrate sustainability principles and practices into their business activities. Whether for-profit or purpose-driven, this award celebrates the alignment of business values with the SDGs and showcases the positive outcomes of sustainable practices.
Sustainable Tourism Award
The Sustainable Tourism category recognises outstanding organisations, destinations, and businesses in the tourism industry that prioritise environmental conservation and have demonstrated a commitment to minimising their ecological footprint, promoting responsible travel and visitor education, supporting local communities, and preserving natural and cultural heritage.
