Nominations open for Paul L. Busch Award

Prize Information

• The Award carries with it a $100,000 grant, allowing recipients to continue their work, take risks, and explore new directions.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals are eligible to receive the Paul L. Busch Award. Applicants may self-nominate or have their work submitted by a nominator. The means of nomination will not be a factor in the selection process.
• There are no restrictions based on race, gender, citizenship, or nationality. The awardee shall perform work in conjunction with a U.S.-based firm, university, or organization.

Ineligibility Criteria

• WRF employees, Board members, Research Advisory Council members, Paul L. Busch Award Selection Committee members, volunteers serving on other WRF committees, and members of their immediate families are not eligible to apply or be nominated.

Nomination Criteria

• Individuals may self-nominate or have their work submitted by a nominator.
• WRF will accept nomination materials that are currently protected by patent or that are under consideration for patent protection.
• All nominations must be submitted in English, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with margins of at least .75 inch on 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper. Nomination materials should be combined and submitted as one PDF file.
• Nomination materials are limited to 10 pages. Letters of endorsement are not counted in the page limit. No budget information is requested or desired. No supplemental information will be considered.

Selection Criteria

• The Paul L. Busch Award Selection Committee will judge nominations on the basis of innovation, creativity, feasibility, and the potential benefits to the water environment. The Award will be given to further a scientist’s or engineer’s body of applied research that demonstrates the following:
  • Innovative idea.
  • Practical potential for improving the water environment.
  • Specific criteria used to evaluate the submitted proposals and to select the award recipient are:
    • Innovation: The proposed research is highly innovative and addresses either an original concept or identifies technology that can be adapted and transferred from another field.
    • Scientific/Engineering Merit: Goals are well-defined, and the proposed research appears to be technically sound and scientifically defensible.
    • Benefits: The proposed research is likely to result in an innovation and a practical application that will ultimately improve water quality or dramatically enhance the methods and processes employed by water quality professionals to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
    • Feasibility: The researcher has demonstrated capability and is likely to meet the stated goals for the proposed research.
    • New Thinking: The proposed research and the researcher convey new thinking on problem solving. Because the proposed research or research direction represents new concepts, it may be unlikely that traditional funding sources would be available.

Application Requirements

• Applications packet must contain the following elements:
  • Title Page (one page) with the following information: Project Title, Name and Title of Nominee, Professional or Home Address and Contact Information (telephone, email).
  • Executive Summary (up to two pages) written in a manner ensuring a lay person can understand the underlying research, the new thinking or innovation being proposed, the potential for practical application, and the manner in which the award would make a difference to the research and how it might be leveraged.
  • The proposal/nomination (up to five pages).
  • Biographical information on proposer/nominee (up to two pages). Citing of publications should be limited to those of immediate relevance to the proposed project, with the remainder quantified.
  • Two letters of endorsement (not included in page limit): one addressing the qualifications of the proposer/nominee, and one addressing the merits of the proposed research and its potential benefits to the water quality profession and the water environment.

For more information, visit Water Research Foundation.