The following awards recognize the achievements happening in the cleantech sector thanks to individuals, new companies, established companies, and important organizations. Nominations are open to all CleanTech Alliance members, and a panel of judges selects the finalists and winners. All of the awards are announced at the CleanTech Leadership Summit (formerly the Annual Meeting) held in the fall.
Check back in the fall for 2019 nominations
CleanTech Achievement Awards
The CleanTech Achievement Award honors members for making a significant contributions to the cleantech industry sector in the Northwest and beyond. In 2017, CleanTech Alliance made two categories for this award – company/organization and individual. Puget Sound Energy sponsored the 2017 awards, and the winners were:
University of Washington | CleanTech Achievement Award | Organization
Consistently ranked as a top global university for innovation, the University of Washington supports the region’s cleantech talent pipeline, R&D base, infrastructure and connectivity to the world. Key programs that support this work are the Environmental Innovation Challenge, Clean Energy Institute, and CoMotion. In addition, the University’s world class faculty and facilities attract federal R&D funding for technology commercialization to the region.
Dave Curry of Demand Energy | CleanTech Achievement Award | Individual
Dave Curry has been a leader in the Northwest cleantech sector for years. His entrepreneurial efforts have created jobs and brought focus, capital and growth to the sector. Curry founded Demand Energy in 2008, which was one of the first energy storage companies both in the region and in the energy storage industry at large. The company was purchased recently by Enel, which will make its technologies available around the world.
CleanTech Achievement Awards sponsored by:
CleanTech Vision Awards
The CleanTech Vision Awards honor an organization and an individual for championing innovation that will forever change the clean technology sector. CleanTech Alliance debuted the award in 2017, which was sponsored by Seattle City Light. The winners were:
Impact Bioenergy | CleanTech Vision Award | Organization
Impact Bioenergy’s distributed bioenergy solutions help communities and companies dealing with food generate energy from organic waste streams. The company’s prefabricated bioenergy systems and technologies allow for onsite bioenergy food waste diversion, thus substantially reducing costs and generating a faster ROI than wind or solar.
Virginia Emery of Beta Hatch | CleanTech Vision Award | Individual
Virginia Emery is single-handedly building an insect-as-protein industry in the Northwest region. Through her startup Beta Hatch, Virginia commercialized insects as high-protein animal food and soil products that are efficient enough to change our food systems. Insects are one of the greatest untapped resources for building more clean and robust food systems, and Virginia is one of few who have developed a viable option to make use of that resource.
CleanTech Vision Awards sponsored by:
Chairman’s Award
The Chairman’s Award, debuted in 2017, is a special presentation selected by past and present CleanTech Alliance Board Chairs to honor an organization or individual for their contribution to the CleanTech Alliance and its mission. Boeing sponsored the 2017 award, which went to:
Maggie Brown of APCO Worldwide | Chairman’s Award
A panel of past and present CleanTech Alliance Board Chairs selected Brown for her ongoing commitment and impact to both the CleanTech Alliance and the broader industry. Maggie is executive director and managing director of APCO Worldwide’s Seattle office where she focuses on supporting cleantech companies with issue management, corporate positioning and crisis and litigation communication programs. She has helped numerous clients manage issues related to energy, environment and sustainability through the development of effective communication strategies.
Chairman’s Award sponsored by:
Past Award Winners
2016 CleanTech Achievement Award Winner
McKinstry continuously looks for new ways to innovate the clean technology landscape. In the past 50 years, the company has transformed how buildings are designed, built, operated and maintained for optimal energy efficiency and occupant health. One example is the recent partnership with Clise Properties and Amazon, the nation’s largest-scale heat recovery systems to cross property lines. This partnership, dubbed the “EcoDistrict,” transfers data center waste heat to offset 75 percent of the heat needed by Amazon’s new corporate headquarters across the street.
2015 CleanTech Achievement Award Winner
Washington State University boasts 16 research centers and labs leading in aviation biofuels, smart grid, advanced composite and bio-based materials, anaerobic digestion, air and water quality, sustainability building design and organic and precision agriculture. This diverse portfolio has earned WSU recognition as a national top-10 cleantech university.
2014 CleanTech Achievement Award Winner
Element 8 was the first angel investment group in North America to focus exclusively on cleantech, and continues to be a leading funder of early stage companies across the continent. Element 8’s angel members are committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through clean technologies.Element 8 partners with outstanding entrepreneurs to build successful companies, and leverages its members’ collective expertise to accelerate the transition to a cleaner future and better world. As of the award date, members had invested more than $18.5 million in 50 companies in across the globe.