1. 1. How and when was the Award established?
2. 2. Who established the Award?
3. 3. What is the purpose of the Award?
4. 4. How is the focus theme of the Award chosen every year?
5. 5. How often is the Prize awarded?
6. 6. What are the Award categories?
7. 7. What is the timetable for 2013 edition?

1. 8. Who is eligible to nominate a candidate?
2. 9. May I nominate myself?
3. 10. Can the same organization nominate more than one project?

1. 11. Who can apply?
2. 12. How do I apply?
3. 13. Can I submit a nomination eve if the nomination deadline has passed?
4. 14. Can an individual apply?
5. 15. Is there a fee to apply for the Award?
6. 16. In which languages can I submit my application?
7. 17. May candidates who applied in previous years who did not receive the award apply for subsequent editions of the Award?
8. 18. May I submit my candidature to more than one category?

1. 19. Who were the candidates to the 2012 edition of the Award?
2. 20. What are the evaluation criteria?
3. 21. Who evaluates the submissions?
4. 22. Who is on the selection committee?

1. 23. How and when can I know if my project has been awarded?
2. 24. When will the 2013 shortlist and winners be announced?
3. 25. If I am a winner, will my travel expenses to the ceremony be covered?
4. 26. Who won in previous years?

1. 27. What kind of prize is awarded?
2. 28. When is the Prize awarded?

1. 29. How can I contact the Award Secretariat?

The 'Water for Life' UN-Water Best Practices Award was established in 2010 and launched for the first time in December 2010 during the International Conference 'Sustainable Water Management in Cities: engaging stakeholders for effective change and action', Zaragoza, Spain.

The Award was established by UN-Water and is organized by United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action "Water for Life" 2005-2015/UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC) and the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).

The purpose of the Award is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015 through recognition of outstanding best practices that can ensure the long-term sustainable management of water resources and contribute to the achievement of internationally agreed goals and targets as contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Agenda 21 an the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

Every year, special emphasis is being put on the theme selected for next World Water Day. In accordance with selected theme for World Water Day 2013, this edition's focus is on Water cooperation. Only best practices/projects which have considered this theme will be eligible.

The Prize is awarded once a year.

The Prize is awarded in two categories, one in 'best water management practices' and another one in 'best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices'.

• 21 June 2012: Announcement of 3rd edition of the Award at the Thematic Session on Water Cooperation organized by the Government of Tajikistan at the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil.
• 30 June to 15 September 2012: Application period.
• 30 September 2012: Deadline for amendments and receiving hard copies.
• From 30 September to 15 October 2012: The Award Secretariat processes all applications received.
• 15 October 2012: TAC members start the evaluation process.
• 15 November 2011: Evaluation from TAC members is sent to the Jury.
• 15 December 2012: Jury members select winners.
• 22 March 2013: Public announcement of winners on World Water Day.

Any independent organisation with sufficient knowledge about the candidate can nominate a candidate. You need to state your professional and/or business connection in relation to the best practice to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Individuals cannot nominate candidates.

Self-nominations are not accepted. Candidatures must be submitted through an independent nominating organisation.

Yes.

The Award is open to projects or programmes achieving particularly effective results in the field of water management or in raising awareness in water issues.

The Award is not open to individuals or organisations but to projects or programmes that can be implemented by an individual or by an organisation.

The candidatures must be submitted through an independent nominating organisation in a letter of well reasoned justification, signed and dated by the presenter and accompanied by an application form duly filled. The letter should indicate the reasons why the candidature should be selected, describe background that corresponds to the objectives and criteria of the Award, and provide an assessment of the results achieved. Letters may be submitted in any of the official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish).

No late submissions are accepted.

There is no fee to apply for the Award.

Applications may be submitted in any of the official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish).

Yes they can.

Yes, but your application will be considered for one category by the Evaluation Committee.

The full list of candidates to the 2012 edition of the Award is available online.

Evaluation criteria are available online.

All submissions complying with the reporting format are forwarded to an independent international Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for review. This advisory committee evaluates the submitted best practices based on a set of evaluation criteria. The TAC reviews all submissions and prepares a comprehensive report including a description of the selection process. This evaluation report is then forwarded to an international Jury for their assessment and final selection of the Award recipients. The Best Practices Jury reviews the TAC evaluation to select those initiatives deserving the "Water for Life" Best Practices Award.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the International Jury is formed by international experts of proven distinction in the water and communication sector from international organizations, initiatives, universities and Think Tanks, among others. Composition of TAC and Jury for the 2013 edition of the Award will be available online in due time.

All submissions will be notified if they are selected or not as soon as the Jury presents its final decision (End December 2012).

Shortlisted candidates and winners will be announced at a special ceremony on World Water Day, 22 March.

The Award includes an invitation to participate in the UN event celebrated on the occasion of World Water Day, including travel and accommodation for one representative of the winning practice, one per category. These expenses will be covered by the organizers.

Information about finalists and winners of the 1st edition of the Award is available online; as well as information on finalists and winners for the 2nd edition.

The Award consists of:

1. An invitation to participate in the UN event celebrated on the occasion of World Water Day, including travel and accommodation for one representative of the winning practice, one per category;
2. A video produced on each of the winning best practice categories. These videos will be included in the UN database on good practices;
3. A certificate especially designed for the award.

The prize is awarded at a special ceremony on World Water Day, 22 March.

The selection committee will not enter into any correspondence, but queries on procedure can be directed to the Award Secretariat by e-mail at water-decade@un.org or by fax to the following number: +34-976-478-349.