Meet the winners of the 2026 JRBM Best Paper and Best Reviewer Awards, announced during the 13th International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics in Thessaloniki, Greece

The JRBM Best Paper Award rewards biannually the best contribution to the International Journal of River Basin Management (JRBM) with strong original research dealing with significant basin management problems. Established in 2010, this IAHR award is supported by Taylor and Francis and consists of an award certificate and a monetary prize of EUR 600.

The JRBM Best Reviewer Award rewards biannually the most outstanding reviewer to the International Journal of River Basin Management (JRBM) in the two years preceding the River Flow Conference.  

 The Winners

 2026 JRBM Best Paper Award

The Best Paper Award was selected accordingly with all AEs among the 2024-2025 papers, based on several criteria: 

1. value to engineering knowledge; 

2. innovation and originality; 

3. scientific insights; 

4. clarity of presentation. 

The awarded paper is:

• Rojas, C., Clerici, N., Longo, M., & Ruiz-Agudelo, C. (2024). Integrative framework for analyzing ecosystem services multifunctionality in watershed planning: case study of the Coello River Basin, Colombia. Int. Journal of River Basin Management, 24(2), 343-353. 10.1080/15715124.2024.2416030

This paper addresses the challenge of incorporating multiple ecosystem services into watershed planning in a coherent and practical way. Using the Coello River Basin in Colombia as a case study, it examines how different services interact across the landscape and how these patterns can inform planning decisions. The work is valuable because it moves beyond isolated service assessments and supports a more balanced view of environmental management, biodiversity, and human needs.

About the winner
Cesar Augusto Rojas Jimenez, with a PhD in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability, is a District University Professor. With 10 years of experience in environmental policy, conservation, and sustainable natural resource management, his work focuses on the economic and social valuation of ecosystem services in marine and coastal areas, and on supporting decision-making for climate adaptation and socioecological resilience. His academic work includes scientific articles, book chapters, environmental management plans, valuation studies, and guidelines for socioeconomic ecosystem characterization. He has also taught and supervised theses in environmental economic valuation, ecological economics, environmental accounting, natural resource economics, and green markets.

 2026 JRBM Best Reviewer Award

The Best Reviewer Award was selected accordingly with all AEs among the 2024-2025 reviews, based on several criteria:

1. outstanding reviews;

2. number of reviews in the last two years; 

3. number of AEs served; 

4. delivery time; 

5. gender and geographical representation. 

About the winner

Tonni Kurniawan, is a researcher at Xiamen University whose work focuses on wastewater treatment, energy efficiency, and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from treatment plants. He previously held a scholar position at United Nations University in Tokyo and obtained his PhD from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research has received over 22,000 Scopus citations, with an h-index of 73, and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum, Scopus, and Stanford University among the top 2% of scientists in environmental science.

 About JRBM

The International Journal of River Basin Management plays a specific role in promoting a cross-sectorial approach encompassing all aspects of river and floodplain management, with a truly global perspective, and available to subscribers at a reasonable price.

Launched at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, March 2003, with overwhelming interest, this Journal is published in four issues per year in print and electronic format, and is co-published by IAHR with IAHS and INBO.

The Journal is a response by the scientific and professional community to the World Water Vision and calls by the World Water Council and Global Water Partnership for an integrated approach to water resources management. Papers are accepted in all areas of river and floodplain management including catchments, wetlands and estuarine systems.

 Related

International Journal of River Basin Management
Committee on Fluvial Hydraulics