Recognizing Excellence

Every year, ELI recognizes excellence across a broad spectrum of areas of environmental law, policy, and management, both domestically and internationally. Honorees are typically individuals, but in some instances have been governments and institutions. By honoring exemplary service and achievement, ELI highlights the direct link between individual and collective actions and better environmental, economic, and social outcomes.

ELI Award Dinner

Since 1984, ELI’s constituents have come together annually in the largest gathering of environmental professionals in the nation: the ELI Award Dinner.  By honoring individuals and organizations for demonstrating outstanding commitment to and achievement in environmental protection, ELI helps set the standards for the environmental profession. The event is a signal opportunity for environmental professionals to forge new bonds of cooperation, while supporting the agenda-setting research, education, and training programs of the Institute. The event is held in October in Washington, DC.

National Wetlands Awards

The National Wetlands Awards are presented each May to individuals who have excelled in wetlands protection, restoration, and education. Through coverage in the National Wetlands Newsletter, coordinated media outreach, and an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill in the lush setting of the U.S. Botanic Gardens, awardees receive national recognition and attention for their outstanding efforts. The awardees are selected by a committee of wetlands experts from around the country.

U.S. Ramsar Wetlands Photo Contest

2015 marks the launch of this special contest to help raise awareness of the Ramsar Convention. Signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, this intergovernmental treaty encourages its more than 160 members to designate sites in their respective nations as "wetlands of international importance." Qualifying photographs must be taken at one of the 36 different U.S. Ramsar wetlands across the country. The winning photographs will be announced and displayed at the National Wetlands Awards ceremony in Washington, DC.

Beveridge & Diamond Constitutional Environmental Law Writing Competition  

The U.S. Constitution has long been interpreted by judges and understood by most Americans to support comprehensive environmental protection. However, arguments questioning the constitutional legitimacy or application of environmental law continue to be made. Each year, ELI invites law students to submit papers exploring current issues of constitutional environmental law. This annual writing competition is made possible through the generous support of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., one of the premier environmental law firms in the nation. The author(s) of the winning entry will receive $2000 cash, an offer of publication in the Environmental Law Reporter, and a one-year individual membership to ELI.

 Al-Moumin Lecture and Award Series

The Al-Moumin Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding recognizes leading thinkers who are shaping the field of environmental peacebuilding. The lecture series is co-sponsored by ELI, American University, and the United Nations Environment Programme, and is named for Dr. Mishkat Al-Moumin, Iraq’s first Minister of Environment, a human rights and environment lawyer, and a former Visiting Scholar at ELI. The event is held each year at American University in Washington, DC. A video of the 2015 lecture is now available online from Environmental Peacebuilding.