CIWEM Honorary Fellows 2026: nominations now open

02 February 2026

Nominations to become a CIWEM Honorary Fellow are now open – CIWEM members and volunteers can nominate someone they admire for this esteemed award

Do you know someone who’s made an incredible contribution to shaping the future of the water and environmental sector or to CIWEM itself?

Our Honorary Fellows Programme is here to acknowledge non-members of CIWEM or even people outside the sector who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to improving the environment or water management for others.

We measure commitment against seven categories: Business, research & education, government, philanthropy, diversity & inclusion, international and service to CIWEM. Nominees can excel in one of more of these categories to qualify for the award.

In 2021, four people were named Honorary Fellows (HonFCIWEM): Sarah Ward, Craig Bennett, Natalie Fee and Jim Graham.

• Sarah Ward - Sarah Ward is a Westcountry Rivers Trust co-creation specialist based in the Exeter area. Sarah is a chartered environmentalist, co-author of Alternative Water Supply Systems, founder of Rainshare and co-founder of the WEM Pride network.
• Craig Bennett - Craig became chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts in April 2020, previously CEO of Friends of the Earth. Craig launched a new ambition for 46 nature charities to put 30 per cent of the UK’s land and sea into nature recovery by 2030.
• Natalie Fee - Natalie is an award-winning environmentalist, author of How to Save the World for Free, speaker and founder of City to Sea. Natalie set up City to Sea in 2015. It is one of the UK's leading environmental organisations combatting plastic pollution, through award-winning campaigns such as Refill and Rethink Periods.
• Jim Graham - Jim has been working in the water industry in New Zealand for thirty years. He is the principal advisor for drinking water with Taumata Arowai, the national drinking water regulator. In 2021, Taumata Arowai was created as a Crown Entity for New Zealand.

Past Honorary Fellows have included flood resilience campaigner Mary Dhonau OBE – read more from Mary in learning from the flood survivors who built back better – Sir David Attenborough and Waterwise managing director Nicci Russell.

CIWEM chair Annie Shepherd says: “Honorary Fellowship award at CIWEM is designed to recognise people who have made a commendable difference in the water and environmental sector. We all have someone we feel proud of because they make a consistent contribution, why not honour them for their work by nominating them for this award?"

To get involved make sure you read the CIWEM HF Guidance for Nominations 2026, fill in the Honorary Fellows Nomination form on MyCIWEM by midday on Tuesday 30 June 2026. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

No communication should be entered into with the nominee concerning the nomination.

CIWEM’s Nominations Committee will consider all applications and pass their recommendations to the Trustee Board for approval. Successful nominees will be contacted and offered the Honorary Fellowship. Awards are announced at our Presidential Induction.

If you have any questions, please email governance@ciwem.org or call +44 (0) 207 831 3110.