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 prize is awarded by all impartial members of the Society of Water Chemistry 's board, based on external expert opinions.

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.

Submission deadline: October 31, 2026

Objective
The Society of Water Chemistry Division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) awards the Division Award Society of Water Chemistry – sponsored by the Walter Kölle Foundation. The award honors outstanding scientific achievements in the field of water chemistry and is intended for young scientists who have made exceptional contributions to this discipline.

The price
The award includes a certificate and prize money of €3,000, provided by the Walter Kölle Foundation. The prize will be awarded at the WASSER 2027 annual conference. The awardee will be invited to present their award-winning research in a scientific lecture at the Conference . The conference fees will be covered by the Division. The decision regarding the award will be made by impartial members of the specialist group's board, based on independent expert opinions.

nomination
Individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of water chemistry and whose doctoral degree was awarded no more than ten years ago are eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are expressly excluded. All nominations must include an informal statement of reasons acknowledging the nominee's achievements and a CV (including email address).

submission
Please send your proposal by email and summarized in a PDF file to the GDCh Office, addressed to Maike Fries.

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."