Nominations for the 2018 AIRAH Awards have opened today.
AIRAH’s website states that the AIRAH Awards “recognise the individuals, companies, research projects and products across the diverse specialist fields that make up the HVAC&R industry.”
AIRAH’s website also states that the Awards nominations are open to individuals, companies, corporate bodies, institutions and government authorities. The 2018 Awards will recognise work carried out during 2016 and 2017.
There are 13 Award categories this year: the James Harrison Medal, Future Leader, Student of the Year–Higher Education and Research, Student of the Year–Trade, Best HVAC Retrofit or Upgrade, Excellence in Sustainability, Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Refrigeration, Excellence in HVAC&R Research, Product of the Year, the Denis Joseph Award for Innovative Use of Solar Energy in HVAC&R, the Diversity and Inclusion Award, and the W.R Ahern Award.
The James Harrison Medal is the highest honour AIRAH can bestow upon an individual and “recognises the highest levels of individual achievement in the Australian refrigeration and air conditioning industry” and is judged on the nominee’s contributions “within AIRAH’s sphere of interest and commitment to ongoing achievement and excellence.”
The Future Leader Award is open to engineers, designers and drafters, project managers and supervisors, tradespeople, commissioning and maintenance technicians, technical sales people, or other industry participants. The Award is open to an AIRAH member who must be nominated by a third party and the age of 35 or under.
The Student of the Year–Higher Education and Research Award and the Student of the Year–Trade Award recognises “outstanding research at any level in the HVAC&R industry.” These Awards are restricted to AIRAH members.
The Best HVAC Retrofit or Upgrade Award recognises “excellence in the retrofit or upgrade of a HVAC system and can address the complete delivery of projects.” The project must have been commissioned in the last three years.
The Excellence in Sustainability Award recognises “Australian initiatives that have made clear improvements in the sustainability of HVAC&R systems or the HVAC&R industry.”
The Excellence in Innovation Award recognises “significant Australian improvements in the areas of HVAC&R achieved through innovation, including new or significantly improved systems or plant and equipment or processes.” Products are not eligible for this category.
The Excellence in Refrigeration Award recognises “excellence in the retrofit or upgrade to existing refrigeration systems or the development of new systems, or in the industry’s delivery of services.” Like the Excellence in Innovation Award, products are not eligible for this category, and like the Best HVAC Retrofit or Upgrade Award, the project must have been commissioned in the last three years.
The Excellence in HVAC&R Research Award recognises “outstanding achievements in research that have produced additional knowledge of HVAC&R systems, with importance for future improvements in these technologies.”
Nominations for the Product of the Year Award will be “assessed for features such as innovation, energy efficiency, sustainability, originality and industry need.”
The Denis Joseph Award recognises “Australian initiatives that through the innovative use of solar energy significantly improve the performance of HVAC&R systems.”
The Diversity and Inclusion Award is new, and recognises and celebrates “organisations that have shown leadership in their efforts, initiatives, policies and programs and practices to embrace and foster truly inclusive levels of representation within their ranks.”
No nominations are required for the W.R Ahern Award, it is awarded annually and recognises the best technical paper by an AIRAH member published in Ecolibrium in the preceding year.
Nominations for the 2018 AIRAH Awards close on June 29, with the winners announced at the presentation dinner in Melbourne on November 15. More information, including where to submit nominations, can be found here.
Image via Pixabay.