Heidelberg Materials North America announced the beginning of the Quarry Life Award sixth edition. This award is based on nature and is held in more than 15 countries around the world. Researchers, students, local communities, NGOs and nature lovers can submit ideas for sustainable quarry management and participate in this competition for money prizes.
To participate in the new edition of the competition, students, researchers, NGOs and local communities can submit a proposal for their project related to the Heidelberg Materials quarries in two stream Research or Community. A jury made up of experts from NGOs and specialists from Heidelberg Materials will select at least six project ideas in North America.
The first step is to submit a project proposal before November 18, 2024. The competition is open to the public; therefore, students, researchers, NGOs and local communities are able to present a proposal. If someone wishes to also participate internationally, they must also select one of the six available categories. In the national competition, for this edition, the 3 best projects within each stream will receive a money prize according to their location. At the international level, the jury will evaluate all participating projects and will award the best project in each of the six categories with a prize of €10,000. The best overall project will receive €30,000.
In the fall of 2025, the North American jury will award up to six national awards: three for the best projects in the research field and three for the best projects in the community field with prizes of €4,000, €2,000 and €1,000.
All project reports will be reviewed simultaneously by the National Jury and the International Jury who will award the national and international awards respectively. National winners will be announced in November 2025 and international winners in December 2025.
The juries will review all projects presented by competitors taking into account scientific rigor, methodology, added value for the quarry, the company and the community, the improvement in knowledge of ecology and the results of dissemination with all parties interested.
The main difference between national and international evaluation is that international awards are intended for those projects whose results/products can be replicated in different places and/or expanded from a specific site to have a greater national or international reach, and that will benefit Heidelberg Materials activities in the long term.
David Perkins, vice president of government affairs and communications and national coordinator of the Quarry Life Award for Heidelberg Materials North America, said that this program fits perfectly with the company’s commitment to biodiversity and space for nature around its operational facilities. He also spoke about the great opportunity that the program represents to promote working together with students, researchers and their neighbors on projects that will benefit the communities where they operate.
This award was first created in 2011 as a unique and emblematic initiative in the construction materials industry, since its creation it has generated more than 450 innovative project ideas to promote and protect biodiversity. During the last five editions, almost 1,100 people have participated in more than 100 quarries where they have investigated how to protect nature and promote a high diversity of local flora and fauna.
The Quarry Life Award is a scientific and educational competition created by Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries which is held every three years. The competition aims to raise awareness of the value of quarries’ biodiversity and share best practices with the scientific community, NGOs, authorities and Heidelberg Materials’ operational units. Likewise, it aims to increase scientific understanding of the interaction between nature and quarries, and also contribute to global nature conservation objectives by increasing awareness regarding biodiversity and bringing people closer to nature.
Source: https://www.quarrylifeaward.com/
