The 2023 Infrastructure Sustainability Council Awards continue the Council’s well-established tradition of advancing leadership in sustainability by celebrating best practice across the Australia and New Zealand infrastructure sectors by:
This year’s awards will exemplify excellence in sustainability across environmental, social, governance, and economic quadruple bottom line outcomes and outstanding contributions to market transformation at organisational, systemic and societal levels.
Submit your entry and join other industry trailblazers in demonstrating how you are delivering the outcomes and transformations needed to shape lives positively through infrastructure and build a world class sustainable industry to meet the formidable challenges and opportunities of this decade.
All you need to know to enter the Awards including categories, awards and their descriptions, application questions, terms and conditions and FAQ’s can be found in the guidebook.
Applications close at 5pm (AEDT) on Monday, 17 July 2023.
There are a total of nine awards in four categories.
Industry Impact
For organisations which have deployed the IS Rating Scheme to make an outstanding contribution resulting in positive sustainability impacts at an organisational, system and/or sector-wide level.
Individual contribution to a sustainable future
For individuals contributing to a world-class, sustainable infrastructure industry. Outstanding contribution will be assessed on value to stakeholders; collaboration and sponsorship, and capability building.
Sustainability Leadership
For excellence in sustainability practices in infrastructure, with a focus on the delivery of impact and outcomes through an initiative, innovation or approach in an IS Rating.
Outstanding Achievement
The 10 highest scoring projects across all versions and tools of the IS Rating Scheme will be invited to apply for the Outstanding Achievement award. The judging panel will make the final decision.
For organisations who can demonstrate how project governance processes (sustainability strategy, risk and opportunity management, sustainable procurement, integrated decision-making) have delivered outstanding sustainability outcomes across priority issues. External stakeholders’ involvement in governance aspects should be highlighted.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
Entrants should demonstrate beneficial, measurable, and enduring outcomes for people achieved by the initiative, innovation or approach – whether that be the local community, specific stakeholder groups, indigenous peoples or the project workforce. Sponsorships with others to achieve these outcomes should be highlighted.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
Entrants should demonstrate beneficial, measurable, and enduring outcomes for the natural environment achieved by the initiative, innovation or approach – whether driving towards net zero, achieving circular economy outcomes or enhancing ecological values. Sponsorships with others and external stakeholder involvement to achieve these outcomes should be highlighted.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
Entrants should demonstrate beneficial, measurable, and enduring economic outcomes achieved by the initiative, innovation, or approach – through including broader sustainability factors (e.g., the social cost of carbon) in project decisions, enhancing the local business economy, building workforce capability, or driving long term benefits realisation. Sponsorships with others and stakeholder involvement to achieve these outcomes should be highlighted.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
Demonstrate industry impact toward low carbon, resilient and/or inclusive infrastructure through: 1. Organisational change at strategy or operational level, and/or 2. systemic change by contributing to policy, standards or specifications that mobilise industry leaders, and/or 3. growing sector social licence by building public awareness of the benefits of infrastructure sustainability.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
Demonstrate industry impact toward low carbon, resilient and/or inclusive infrastructure by: 1. Organisational change at strategy or operational level, and/or 2. systemic change through developing policy, standards or specifications that mobilise industry leaders, and/or 3. growing sector social licence sponsorships and building public awareness of the benefits of infrastructure sustainability.
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
For emerging sustainability professionals (under 35 years of age) contributing to the creation of a world class, sustainable infrastructure industry. This includes a healthy, inclusive workforce, a responsible agile supply chain and sustainability-aligned investment and governance. Entrants should demonstrate how they are: • delivering value to stakeholders, and/or • working in collaboration and sponsorship, and/or • building capability in others
Eligibility Criteria & Application Questions
This award seeks to recognise individuals who have a sustained contribution throughout their career to shape an enduring Individual contribution to a sustainable future impact or legacy. Entrants should demonstrate a strong contribution to the creation of a world class, sustainable infrastructure industry. This includes a healthy, inclusive workforce, a responsible agile supply chain and sustainability-aligned investment and governance. Entrants should demonstrate how they are: • delivering value to stakeholders, and/or • working in collaboration and sponsorship, and/or • building capability in others
Eligibility Criteria & Application QuestionsSubmissions must be made through the Infrastructure Sustainability Council awards application portal.
All submissions must meet the strict word limits, or risk disqualification. Entries received over the limit will be automatically disqualified. This will be strictly adhered to.
Each award has four application questions. The questions have differing word limits and weightings. Entrants are encouraged to consider the weightings when submitting answers. Higher word limits carry higher weightings for the scores and where judges are looking for the greatest impact.
Applications must include a minimum of three and a maximum of six high quality supporting images. All images will be viewed by the judges and may be used for PR/marketing purposes. At least three images must be photographs devoid of logos or marketing collateral. Additional images may include graphs, maps, drawings, or material to support your application. Supporting images may not contain text apart from a heading or label.
The size limit for each image is 5MB with only .png and .jpeg formats accepted.
A short video of up to two-minutes is required to support your entry. Videos will be viewed by the judges and may be used for promotional purposes. Videos should be stored on either YouTube or Vimeo and a URL provided.
A summary of 150 words is to be uploaded as a separate file in the awards portal. This summary will not be assessed but will be used for promotional purposes across various platforms.
This summary should briefly describe your initiative, innovation or approach, illustrate its impact and clearly demonstrate why it is unique and/or how it has impacted the sector.
Submit your application before the deadline of Monday, 17 July 2023. Requests for extensions beyond this deadline will not be considered.
All entries assessed for eligibility and completion. Disqualified entries will be notified accordingly.
Shortlisted finalists advised by Monday, 28 August 2023.
External announcement of shortlisted entries on Wednesday, 30 August 2023.
Judges complete three rounds of judging overseen by Award Partner, PwC.
Winners announced at Gala Dinner and Awards Night on Thursday, 7 September 2023.
Media release sent on Thursday, 21 September 2023
Judges feedback sent to entrants on Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Ongoing social media and marketing
For more information and support, contact our events team at events@iscouncil.org
Contact UsA representative from each winning award will be required to make a short acceptance speech at the Gala Dinner and Awards Night. Acceptance speeches should be no longer than 2 minutes (250 words).
A representative from each winning award will be required to work with the ISC to promote their success in 2023 and beyond.
Entrants give consent for the entry summaries and any collateral provided to be used to promote finalists, winners and the ISC Awards through multiple channels.
The judging panel’s decisions are final.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council accepts no responsibility for entries that are not received, delayed, incomplete or are lost due to a technical problem.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council reserves the right to withdraw a category and cancel the award if an insufficient number of entries has been received, the quality of entries does not meet the criteria, or the entries are deemed inappropriate for any reason.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council shall be entitled to use all public relations material supplied as part of the Entry (including, but not limited to, images, video recordings, written content and any other supporting documentation submitted as part of the Entry) as necessary in any media and in any form to promote Entries.
Entries remain the property of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council and are not returned.
Entrants in the Sustainability Leadership and Industry Impact categories must be current ISC members. Entrants in the
Emerging Leader awards must be current Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professionals (ISAP’s). Entrants in the Enduring
Impact award do not need to be current members or ISAP’s.
Yes. Entries for an initiative, innovation or approach in the Sustainability Leadership category must have been implemented in a
project that is registered for or has achieved an IS rating.
Please see the eligibility criteria for each award regarding the applicable date range.
Yes. Each entry is judged as a stand-alone application and each entry must fulfill the entry requirements of the chosen award.
Yes. Please see the eligibility criteria regarding applicable date range.
The Entry name is the name you would like your entry referred to. It might be the name of a project, an initiative, program of work, similar. This name will appear on the award for winning entries.
This is the name of the organisation(s) representing the entry / project above. It might be a single organisation or JV, Alliance, PPP or
similar. This name will also appear on the award for winning entries. It is the responsibility of the key contact to ensure all parties are
informed of the entry in the case of a JV, Alliance, PPP or similar.
You can partially submit your application and come back at any time before the closing date to complete your entry.
Applications close at 5pm (AEST) on Monday, 17 July 2023. Any late entrants and applications missing information, over the word count or that don’t meet the submission criteria will be automatically disqualified.
There is no application fees.
The judges of each category/award will be released after the awards close.
Applications close at 5pm (AEST) on Monday, 17 July 2023.
It is highly recommended that all shortlisted entries have a representative attend the Gala Dinner and Awards Night to accept the award should they win.
Head to the ISC website (www.iscouncil.org) where you will be directed to the Connect Conference site where can purchase tickets to the conference and/or dinner and book a table of 10 for your whole team. This Conference site will be open for registrations in early May 2023
No. Winners will be announced on the night.
Absolutely! If you have any special access, dietary or other requirements, please let us know during the registration process and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Head to the ISC website, look for the Awards tab and you’ll find a link to the application portal there.
If your questions haven’t been answered in this guidebook or on our website, feel free to get in touch with us at events@iscouncil.org
The ISC will only communicate with the person submitting the entry – the Key Contact.
