As the sun set over Singapore, on June 26, delegates of the 41st IAHR World Congress gathered for a truly unforgettable evening at the iconic Gardens by the Bay, where the IAHR Awards & Congress Dinner was held to honour excellence, community, and 90 years of innovation in hydro-environment engineering. 

The evening began with a guided tour through the breathtaking Flower Dome, offering guests a moment to reflect on the beauty and fragility of the natural world that unites the IAHR community in purpose. The event then moved to the main venue where IAHR President Prof. Philippe Gourbesville welcomed guests and led a celebratory cake-cutting ceremony in honour of IAHR’s 90th anniversary.

 Honouring Excellence: IAHR Awards 2025

During the gala, IAHR recognised remarkable achievements and contributions in hydro-environment research and practice with the presentation of its prestigious awards: 

24th Harold Jan Schoemaker Award – For the best paper published in the Journal of Hydraulic Research (JHR). 

Conferred to;

• Saiyu Yuan, from Hohai University, China, for the paper ‘Effects of tributary floodplain on confluence hydrodynamics’, published in the Journal of Hydraulic Research, August 2023.

• Andrea Zampiron, from University of Aberdeen, UK, for the paper ‘Flow development in rough-bed open channels: mean velocities, turbulence statistics, velocity spectra, and secondary current’, published in the Journal of Hydraulic Research, February 2023.

9th Willi H. Hager JHR Best Reviewer Award – Acknowledging outstanding peer-review work and commitment to academic excellence. 

Conferred to;

• Manish Pandey, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, for authoring the most outstanding reviews of the papers submitted to the IAHR Journal of Hydraulic Research during the previous two years.

• Maria Rita Maggi, from Roma Tre University, Italy, for authoring the most outstanding reviews of the papers submitted to the IAHR Journal of Hydraulic Research during the previous two years.

• Isabella Schalko, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Switzerland, for authoring the most outstanding reviews of the papers submitted to the IAHR Journal of Hydraulic Research during the previous two years.

16th John F. Kennedy Student Paper Competition – Celebrating innovative research by emerging scholars. 

3rd prize: 

• Katelyn Kirby, from University of Ottawa, United States of America, for her work on A High-Resolution National Database of River Widths From Remote Sensing and Cloud-Based Image Processing.

2nd prize:

• Tapas Kumar Pradhan, University of Windsor, Canada, for his work on Comparison of Flow Pattern Around Straight and T-Head Spur Dikes.

1st prize:

• Mohamed Bey Zekkoub, from Électricité de France (EDF), France, for his work on Assessment of Sodium Polyacrylate's Environmental Fate in a River Reach Through-Experiments, Numerical Simulations and Analytical Modeling.

Most Active Young Professionals Networks – Recognising vibrant engagement and impact by IAHR’s Young Professional communities. 

• IAHR Spain Young Professionals Network, from the Europe Division.

• IAHR India Young Professionals Network, from the Asia & Pacific Division.

• IAHR Venezuela Young Professionals Network, from the Latin American Division.

IAHR Fellows 2025 – Honouring distinguished professionals for their long-standing contributions to the field. 

This year’s awards showcased the diversity, creativity, and collaborative spirit that define IAHR’s global network — spanning academia, policy, and applied engineering. 

 A Week to Remember 

The dinner concluded a week filled with groundbreaking discussions, international collaboration, and forward-looking visions for water science and technology. IAHR extends its heartfelt thanks to all participants, speakers, volunteers, and sponsors for making the 41st World Congress such an inspiring success.