The Vetiver Network is pleased to announce the third series of Vetiver awards, made possible thanks to a generous grant from the William H. Donner Foundation. TVN will award a total of US$45,000 in prize money, distributed as described below. In anticipation of the Third International Conference on Vetiver, to be held in China in 2003 , whose theme will be “Vetiver and Water”, one catagories of the awards will be Vetiver System applications in relation to water. As in the past, the TVN hopes to receive many nominations for each category. The competiton for the Vetiver Awards, in years past, has brought out information that significantly increased our knowledge of Vetiver's uses, applications and benefits. The deadline for nominations will be July 31st 2003. Award winners will be announced at the Third International Vetiver Conference to be held in Guangzhou, China from October 6 - 9 2003.
All vetiver users, be they individuals or groups, who have shown initiative in research, or utilization or promotion of the Vetiver System. These may include farmers, technicians, NGOs, students, scientists, researchers, private companies, innovators, etc. who have produced and documented concrete, repeatable results.
Awards will be given in six categories:
- a. Watershed Protection/Improvement
- b. Engineering – Natural and Constructed
- c. Quality – Pollution Control and Treatment
- a. Asia
- b. Africa
- c. Latin America
- d. Other
Awards will range between US$3000 and US$500 for first through third places. All awardees will receive a special commemorative certificate
There is no award application form. Nominations may either be from individuals regarding their own work or be made by another person. Documentation can consist of many types of information (personal accounts, reports, articles, photographs, scientific papers, testimonials, etc.), however we strongly encourage the inclusion (where relevant) of photographs and “before” and “after” photographs whenever possible. Please be as brief and clear as possible.
The following should be mailed to The Vetiver Network:
- 1. Name and address (phone, fax, and email if possible) of nominee
- 2. Name and address (phone, fax, and email) of nominator (if applicable)
- 3. Project information:
- a. Location of Project
- b. Description of Project
- c. Accomplishements of Project
- d. Importance of Project
- 4. Supporting Documention (optional, but useful in determining awards)
- 5. Name and address of a reference who is familiar with the project
Projects will be judged on the following:
Extra credit will be given (where relevant) to those who include practical details of benefits and costs or a benefit/cost analysis or efficiency analysis (i.e., benefits/costs of Vetiver System compared to traditional or other systems).
Within these categories there are no pre-defined topics. The creativity and innovation of the user is the only constraint. The ideas listed below in each category are only illustrative to give a clearer idea of what might be interesting.
1. Water Applications – The theme of the International Conference on Vetiver in 2004 in China is “Vetiver and Water”. Most Vetiver System applications can be thought of in terms of its relationship to and effect on water through:
a. Watershed Protection/Improvement – such as the use of the Vetiver System for protecting and improving the quality of water through treatment of a watershed, streambanks and streamside buffers, for soil moisture and/or groundwater improvement, reduction of sedimentation, etc..
b. Engineering – The use of VS to protect and stabilize the banks and channels of natural and constructed waterways and dams.
c. Quality – Use of VS to control and treat polluted surface water, groundwater and wastewater
2. Bioengineering applications – use of VS for stabilization and protection of buildings, roadsides, railroads, bridges, industrial sites, landfills, cut-and-fill slopes, and other infrastructure or engineering applications, for slope stabilization in vulnerability/hazard reduction, etc.
3. Land Reclamation – The use of VS for reclamation of abandoned and polluted, toxic lands, degraded sites, gully stabilization, mine spoils and slimes stabilization and revegetation, improvement of extreme soils, etc.
4. Dissemination – Original publication, brochure, pamphlet, multi-media, etc.
5. Country Vetiver Award – Award given to acknowledge the best overall achievements and results of a VS program in a country.
6. Farmer/User Awards – Awards Award to acknowledge the utilization of vetiver by individuals to improve the quality of their lives through economic and environmental improvements via increased production on agricultural lands, economic/environmental improvement and/or other uses of VS such as providing mulch, fuel, artisanal uses, livestock fodder, etc.. There will be awards made in each of the following regions of the world:
a) Asia
b) Africa
c) Latin America
d) Other
7. Vetiver Champion – Open to nominations for people who have been instrumental, either in their country (region, globally) or technical area (for example, research, soil and moisture conservation, etc) in effective and dedicated promotion, investigation, improvement, etc. of the use of the vetiver system.
Please send nominations to:
The Vetiver Network
4500 Chase Avenue
Bethesda, MD20814
USA
Please include a self-addressed card which we can then return to you to acknowledge receipt of nomination.
Break dowdown of prizes (TVN reserves the right to modify the amounts within the $45,000 total award).
| Award Topic | First Prize | Second Prize | Third Prize |
| 1. Water | |||
| a. Watershed Protection/Improvement (improving water quality and quantity) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| b. Engineering (rivers, canals, levees, drainage) etc.) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| c. pollution (landfills, desiltation, chemical removal, artificial wetlands) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| 2. Engineering/Infrastructure Protection (excluding water) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| 3. Land Reclamation (mining, degraded lands) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| 4. Dissemination (publication, brochure, multi-media, etc.) | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| 5. Country Vetiver Award | $ 3,000 | $ 1,000 | $ 500 |
| 6. Most innovative users | |||
| a. Asia | $ 1,500 | $ 750 | NA |
| b. Africa | $ 1,500 | $ 750 | NA |
| c. Latin America | $ 1,500 | $ 750 | NA |
| d. Other | $ 1,500 | $ 750 | NA |
| 7. Vetiver Champion | $ 4,000 | NA | NA |