Division Award Society of Water Chemistry

- funded by the Walter Kölle Foundation -

The Society of Water Chemistry Division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) has awarded the Division Award Society of Water Chemistry at its annual conference , WASSER, since 1971, provided the candidates are deserving of recognition. The prize honors outstanding scientific achievements by young researchers in the field of water chemistry and is awarded to individuals whose doctoral degrees were awarded no more than ten years prior. The award includes a certificate and prize money of 3,000 euros, funded by the Walter Kölle Foundation. The decision regarding the prize is made by all impartial members of the Society of Water Chemistry's board.

Criteria: (1) Outreach, dissemination, and impact in water management and water chemistry (2) impactful scientific contribution to water science, (3) demonstrated independent research trajectory, (4) academic services in water chemistry in the DACH region, etc.

The award, originally established under the name "Division Award", has been operating as the "Division Award Society of Water Chemistry - sponsored by the Walter-Kölle-Foundation" since 2011.

The price is not currently listed.

The Division Award Society of Water Chemistry was awarded to Dr. Stephanie Spahr on May 11, 2026, at the WASSER 2026 trade fair in Kiel:

"[...] in recognition of her comprehensive work on the fate of persistent, mobile, and toxic substances in water bodies. Her scientific focus lies in the evaluation of technical systems for pollutant reduction, particularly for urban stormwater runoff during heavy rainfall events. For example, she investigated the use of biochar as a cost-effective sorbent for the removal of organic trace substances. Furthermore, she demonstrated the importance of identifying the identity and reactivity of short-lived reactive intermediates in the peroxydisulfate decomposition on redox-active biochar in order to optimize stormwater runoff treatment."