Riverprize 2010 - Finalists announced!

Congratulations to the 2010 International Thiess Riverprize finalists:

Hattah Lakes, Australia: Reviving the drought-ravaged Hattah Lakes in Australia has been a visionary project led by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority as part of a sustained effort to restore better health to a system of semi-permanent freshwater lakes within Australia’s Murray Darling Basin.

River Thames, England: Pollution of the UK's second longest river left it biologically dead in the 1950s, but since then many organisations, and a currently driven by the Environment Agency, have helped transform the river into a thriving ecosystem teeming with fish, and with a returning salmon and otter population.

Smirnykh Rivers Partnership, Russia: With Sakhalin Environment Watch as one of the lead agencies, the Smirnykh Rivers Partnership, a long-term, broad-based public-private partnership, has achieved lasting and substantial gains in protecting and restoring the ecological health of the eastern (Okhotsk Sea) coast of Smirnykh District of the Sakhalin Region in the Russian Far East.

Yellow River, China: China’s Yellow river faces many extreme challenges from water shortage, serious water pollution, to serve and frequent flooding. In 1999 the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) was empowered to manage the entire river. Within 10 years, YRCC has made remarkable progress in balancing water allocation and availability with social, economic and ecological developments.

Congratulations to the 2010 National Riverprize finalists:

Cooks River, New South Wales: The Cooks River Foreshores Working Group is facilitating a collaborative program to resuscitate one of Australia's most polluted, yet iconic, river systems - the Cooks River in Sydney's inner southwest.

Derwent Estuary, Tasmania: The Derwent Estuary Program (DEP) is a regional partnership between the Tasmanian Government, six councils, five businesses, scientists and the community to address the issues of heavy metal contamination, nutrient enrichment, introduced species and habitat loss in the Derwent estuary.

Hattah Lakes, Victoria: The Mallee Catchment Management Authority is reviving the Hattah Lakes along with the threatened plants and animals they support , in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, 60 kilometres south of Mildura, Victoria.

Lake Illawarra, New South Wales: Since 1988, the Lake Illawarra Authority has been restoring Lake Illawarra, focussing on addressing water quality issues, along with improving seagrass beds and saltmarsh meadows.

Riverprize Overview

The Riverprize is an internationally recognised award for outstanding achievement and excellence in river management. Each year, the Prize is awarded to a national (Australian) and international catchment/watershed organisation or group for the difference they make to their rivers and environment.

The Prize is a powerful incentive to further worldwide efforts to repair damaged rivers and restore their health. It also celebrates world best practice in the stewardship of our most finite and endangered global resource – water.

Riverprize is awarded at the annual International Riversymposium in Brisbane, Australia, the Prizes are fundamental in inspiring the interest, development and documentation of best practice knowledge for protecting and restoring rivers.

International Thiess Riverprize

In 2010 the International Thiess Riverprize is valued at A$350,000 and consists of A$250,000 in cash and A$100, 000* available to establish a twinning project.

*twinning is encouraged, but not mandatory.

International Thiess Riverprize Judging Panel

In 2010 the International Thiess Riverprize Judging Panel is:

1. Prof Paul Greenfield (Judging Panel Chair) Vice Chancellor, University of Queensland (Australia)

2. Dr Joe Baker, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (Australia)

3. Mrs Leith Boully, Chair of the Centre for Rural and Regional Innovation in Queensland (Australia)

4. Dr David Garman, Executive Director / President, Environmental Biotechnology CRC (Australia)

5. Prof Stuart Bunn, Director, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, (Australia)

6. Dr Ian Campbell, Principal Scientist, GHD (Australia)

7. Mr Alan Vicory, Vice-President, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (USA)

8. Dr Lifeng Li, Director Freshwater, World Wildlife Fund (Switzerland)

National Riverprize

In 2010 the National Riverprize (funded by the Australian Government Water for the Future initiative) is valued at A$200,000 and consists of A$150,000 in cash and A$50, 000* available to establish a twinning project.

*twinning is encouraged, but not mandatory.

In 2008, the Australian Government provided $1 million to fund the National Riverprize over a five-year period. The National Riverprize - valued at A$200,000 in 2010 - is now funded through an Australian Government grant under the Water for the Future initiative.

We sincerely thank our Riverprize supporters for their ongoing commitment!
We are dedicated to continue to build the value and prestige of the award so that it will become likened to the "Nobel Prize" for river management.

National Riverprize Judging Panel

In 2010 the National Riverprize Judging Panel is:

1. Mrs Leith Boully, (Judging Panel Chair) Chair of the Centre for Rural and Regional Innovation in Queensland (Queensland)

2. Prof Paul Greenfield, Vice Chancellor, University of Queensland (Queensland)

3. Ms Kerry Olsson, General Manager, National Water Commission (Australian Capital Territory)

4. Mr Craig Bradley, Assistant Secretary, Urban Water Security Branch Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Australian Capital Territory)

5. Dr Siwan Lovett, Director, Australian River Restoration Centre (Australian Capital Territory)

6. Dr Arlene Buchan, Healthy Rivers Campaigner, Australian Conservation Foundation (Victoria)

Riverprize Trophy

The design of the distinctive Riverprize trophy is based on an interpretation of a coolamon or piti. This is a vessel used by Australian aboriginal women for carrying water, bushfood, or as a cradle for babies. The trophy is cast in aluminum, highlighting the concept of a silver shimmer of reflected light on water.