The 21st Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program

Click the image above to see a movie on The Waterfront Center Awards Search Engine

The Waterfront Center has loaded information about almost all the awards granted by the Waterfront Center since 1987 into a searchable database linked to our webpage, see more detail HERE.

In 1987 the Waterfront Center began the “Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program,” initiated with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts Design Arts Program and the National Marine Manufacturers Association, to recognize top-quality planning, design, and development work from around the world. Entries are for comprehensive plans, built projects and student work. The Center also recognizes grassroot citizen’s efforts through a Clearwater Award named for the non-profit group of that name founded by Pete Seeger working to clean up the Hudson River in New York.

Over the years the stature of this awards program has grown internationally. In 2012 seven of the ten awards came from outside the U.S., including Malta, New Zealand and Singapore The Waterfront Center is known as an independent institution and the judgments rendered by the awards juries are seen as unbiased recognition based on merit. Honor awards are increasingly sought after and prized. The initial announcement of each year’s awards comes during the Center’s annual conference on waterfront planning, development and culture.

Since the start of the program the Waterfront Center has presented awards to 380 recipients. Since 2004, popular, 20-page illustrated booklets have been prepared each year to publicize the winning projects, and more recently the winners have been posted on the Internet, see below.

32nd Program deadline to be announced in early 2020"

NOTE: the Center will not be calling for entries in 2019 as the co-directors are taking a sabbatical to work on their new book: The Art of the Waterfront. The program will resume in 2020. Details on the deadline for submission, the 2020 jury and other information will be announced in early January.

For those unfamiliar with the program such as the judging criteria and entry requirements go to the website to get an idea of what is involved in submitting your project or plan.

On May 20-22, 2016 the Center co-directors, Ann Breen and Dick Rigby, joined Jonathan Dann, the executive producer of the film met up in Houston, Texas to begin shooting the trailer for a documentary on the waterfront phenomenon of the last 35+ years. The 10-minute trailer will set the stage for the fuller story and focuses on the Buffalo Bayou as a mini-case study.. Read more about it HERE.

An interdisciplinary jury of professional planners, designers, city officials, and community, business and development representatives determines the award winners using the following qualitative criteria:

Sensitivity of the design to water. Document how the entry makes use of the waterfront and the water resource, how it provides for active public enjoyment of the waterfront and, where possible, provides for physical and visual access to and along the waterfront.

Quality and harmony of design. Show how the project/plan citizen effort/student work fits into the surroundings, be they natural or man-made, and incorporates and celebrates the unique historic and cultural features of the community, particularly relating to the waterfront. The human scale of the project will also be a consideration.

Civic contribution. Relate how the project has helped the economy of the community, boosted civic pride or otherwise has had a positive affect on the area. Show that the work is sustainable and how it is economically viable over the long run.

Environmental. Show how environmental values are stressed. This aspect and the importance of sound scientific underpinnings have been very important to recent juries.

Enrichment. Show how the project/plan contributes to the overall cultural richness of the community. Where applicable, relate how the entry provides interpretive signs, displays or other facilities to explain an area’s waterfront heritage and natural values.

Degree of difficulty. Describe how obstacles of various types have been overcome, be they natural, political/jurisdictional, economic or permitting.

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