WOLL OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026

Background

The WOLL of the Year Award is an annual distinction established by the Water4All Water-Oriented Living Labs (WOLLs) Network to recognise excellence among its members in accelerating the implementation of innovative solutions towards a Water-Smart Society and Economy.

The Award contributes to the objectives of the Water4All Partnership by promoting excellence, peer learning and the exchange of good practices across the European community of Water-Oriented Living Labs, while highlighting successful approaches that can inspire replication and scaling in other territories.

The Award is organised by Water Europe, as leader of Pillar D of Water4All, and is presented annually during Water Innovation Europe (WIE).

Following the independent evaluation carried out by the Technical Jury, the three highest-ranked applications will be shortlisted and their representatives invited to attend the Water Innovation Europe Gala Dinner. The identity of the shortlisted finalists will remain confidential until the Award Ceremony.

For the 2026 edition, the WOLL of the Year will be announced during the Water Innovation Europe Gala Dinner, to be held in person on 13 October 2026 in Dublin, Ireland, in the presence of representatives from the European Commission, the Water4All Partnership, public authorities, industry, research organisations and the wider European water community.

The WOLL of the Year Award 2026 recognises the Water-Oriented Living Lab that has demonstrated the most outstanding achievements during the reference period October 2025 – September 2026, particularly in accelerating the implementation, demonstration, uptake and replication of innovative solutions contributing to Europe's transition towards a Water-Smart Society and Economy.

Purpose of the Award

The WOLL of the Year Award 2026 recognises the Water-Oriented Living Lab that has demonstrated the most outstanding achievements during the reference period October 2025 – September 2026, particularly in accelerating the implementation, demonstration, uptake and replication of innovative solutions that contribute to a more resilient and Water-Smart Europe.

The application has been designed to be concise and evidence-based. Applicants are requested to report measurable results supported by objective evidence. Self-scoring is not permitted.

Contact person (authorised to represent the WOLL)

In no more than 400 words, explain why your WOLL deserves to be recognised as the WOLL of the Year. Focus on the most significant progress achieved during the reference period and explain how your WOLL contributed to accelerating the implementation of innovative solutions and creating measurable impact.

Please report the quantitative results achieved during the reference period (September/October 2025 – August/September 2026). Only complete indicators that are applicable to your WOLL. Where an indicator is not applicable, indicate 'N/A' and the same if value or unit does not apply to a specific indicator.

For each indicator, provide a concise reference to the supporting evidence (maximum 30 words). Full evidence can be provided through the links listed in Section 4.

Guidance Notes

• Report only achievements accomplished during the reference period.
• Use numerical values whenever possible.
• For environmental and socio-economic impacts, applicants may choose the indicator that best reflects the added value of their WOLL (e.g. water reused, water saved, pollutants removed, CO₂ emissions reduced, energy saved, people served, jobs created, SMEs supported, etc.).
• Where possible, express values using recognised units (e.g. m³/year, %, kg/year, tCO₂e/year, kWh/year, EUR).
• The Evidence column should contain only a short reference (e.g. 'Monitoring Report 2026', 'Municipal Decision No. 45/2026', 'Project Deliverable D4.2').

Provide a maximum of three references (URLs only) supporting the results presented in this application.

In no more than 250 words, describe your contribution to the Water4All WOLLs Network during the reference period (e.g. mentoring, webinars, Atlas, study visits, working groups, joint activities, dissemination, etc).

I hereby certify that the information provided in this application is accurate and can be supported by documentary evidence upon request.