The GSA rewards individuals or organizations who demonstrated outstanding leadership in 3 categories:

Prevention and Preparedness

Main criteria:

• Played a critical role in preventing or preparing for future environmental emergencies through effective advocacy efforts;
• Demonstrated strong support to developing national and regional capacities to prevent and prepare for environmental emergencies;
• Manifested outstanding achievement in capacity-building missions for prevention and preparedness;
• Demonstrated effective development of education and training courses on environmental emergencies.

Response

Main criteria:

• Demonstrated exemplary leadership and/or substantial support in response to one or more environmental emergencies;
• Demonstrated outstanding results in coordinating response to one or more environmental emergencies;
• Proven record in building regional, national or community response capacities.

Environment and Humanitarian Action

Main criteria:

• Proven record in integrating environmental issues into decision-making and into the relevant stages/cycles of humanitarian response;
• Demonstrated marked improvement in consideration of environmental issues in humanitarian action based on lessons learned and best practices;
• Demonstrated effective leadership in awareness-raising on environmental issues in humanitarian action;
• Demonstrated creative solutions or innovations in the area of environment in humanitarian actions.