Leadership & Case Study Awards

Sponsor a Leadership Award

Summit Sponsors at the Presenting, Gold, and Silver levels may choose one of SPLC’s Leadership Awards to present during the Summit’s Awards Dinner. Sponsors will have the opportunity to make executive remarks as part of the award presentation. Choice of award is first come, first served.

SPLC’s annual Leadership Awards recognizes public and private sector organizations for leveraging their purchasing power to advance the long-term health and vitality of society, economies, and the planet.

See Past Winners:

• 2018 Award Winners
• 2017 Award Winners 
• 2016 Award Winners.

Table of Contents

• Award Types
• Award Categories
• Case Study Quality Criteria
• Submission Timeline
• Submission & Nomination Instructions
• Frequently Asked Questions

Award Types

There are three types of awards, based on case study submissions and nominations:

• Juried Organizational Leadership Awards

  A small number of case study submissions will be selected by a blue-ribbon jury for special recognition. These case studies represent exceptional examples of the kind of leadership envisioned in SPLC’s Principles for Leadership in Sustainable Purchasing. These awards recognize leadership by Purchaser Role, Supplier Role, and Public Interest Advocate Roles. See below for award categories.

• Juried Individual Leadership Awards

  SPLC’s Individual Leadership Award recognizes one or more individuals whose vision, leadership, and dedicated effort have been fundamental to the advancement of the sustainable purchasing movement.

• Outstanding Case Study Awards

  All case study submissions that meet pre-defined quality criteria will earn this award. This ensures that the effort required to produce a high quality case study will be rewarded for every high quality submission. In addition, in 2018, case studies will be recognized that demonstrate contributions to defining and measuring the ‘business case’ of sustainable purchasing, and of sustainable purchasing’s contribution to the circular economy.

Award Categories

JURIED AWARDS
Purchaser Awards
	Overall Program	Recognizes a purchaser organization whose overall sustainable purchasing program exemplifies the qualities defined in SPLC’s Principles for Leadership in Sustainable Purchasing.
	Special Initiative	Recognizes a purchaser organization whose work with a specific purchasing category, issue, or supplier demonstrates exceptional leadership in improving the environmental, social, and economic performance of its organization and supply chain.
	Engaging Suppliers	Recognizes a purchasing organization that has done an exceptional job of motivating and helping to develop high sustainability performance by its suppliers.
	Business Case	Recognizes the case study that best demonstrates the business value generated by sustainable purchasing.
Supplier Award
	Supplier Leadership	Recognizes a Supplier Role whose actions have enabled institutional purchasers to better understand and take responsibility for the consequences of their spending.  Note that this award is not intended to showcase specific products or services – therefore, supplier leadership case study submissions should NOT focus on the benefits of specific products or services. Case studies that primarily tout new/better products or services may be disqualified. *
Public Interest Advocate Award
	Public Interest Advocate Leadership	Recognizes a public interest advocate organization whose actions have enabled institutional purchasers to better understand and take responsibility for the consequences of their spending; and/or who facilitate market transformation towards sustainability.
Individual Award
	Individual Leadership	Recognizes one or more individuals whose vision, leadership, and dedicated effort have been fundamental to the advancement of the sustainable purchasing movement. Nominations for the Individual Award can be made by the individual themselves, and/or by another person or organization.
Sponsored Awards
	Circular Economy Award   sponsored by	Recognizes the case study that best demonstrates sustainable purchasing’s ability to promote and realize the circular economy.
Contribution Awards
	Outstanding Case Study	Recognizes the contribution leaders make when they pause to document and share their work with others. This award is given to all high quality case studies submitted that meet our “outstanding case study” criteria (below). Organizations may submit multiple case studies for consideration, including case studies previously produced for other purposes. All case studies winning this award will be formatted to meet SPLC’s templates, and added to the SPLC Case Study Library, which is cross-linked with SPLC’s Guidance.

Case Study Quality Criteria

A case study will meet our outstanding case study criteria if it:

• Exemplifies one or more of SPLC’s Principles for Leadership in Sustainable Purchasing; and
• Tells the story (from start to finish, including lessons learned) of a coherent set of activities that led to…
• … measurable results in terms of environmental, social, and economic performance of purchasing;
• Describes implemented strategies with specificity (How were strategies chosen? How do/did strategies work in practice?).
• Uses easy-to-read formatting, (e.g., headings, bullets, “lessons learned” boxes);
• Has visuals, if appropriate (e.g., charts, graphics, tables, or photos);
• [For Suppliers and Public Interest Advocates Only] Demonstrates how the activities described enabled a specific organization or group of organizations to measurably improve the environmental, social, and economic performance of their purchasing.*

Submission Timeline

We accept case study submissions year-round, which can be sent by following the below instructions. To be considered for the 2018 Awards, please also see deadlines below.

March 16, 2018    Deadline for 2018 Juried Award Consideration

April 25, 2018      Case Study Award Winners notified via email.

May 16, 2018     Juried Awards Banquet at the 2018 Summit in Minneapolis, MN

Submission Instructions