APGA Annual Awards

The Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Pipeline Industry Award has been presented annually since 1995. It is awarded to individuals who have made major and sustained contributions to the pipeline industry in any area of activity. The Award recognises a contribution over and above the call of duty to the entire industry – it does not aim to recognise contributions to a specific company.

Members and former members are eligible to be nominated for the award. Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. Current Board members are not eligible for the award.

The winner of the award will be judged based on the following criteria:

• The extent to which the nominee has made a notable contribution to the entire pipeline industry or to a specific sector of the industry.
• The extent to which the contribution made by the nominee is generally regarded as a valuable contribution by the entire industry.
• The extent to which the nominee has made a sustained contribution over a considerable number of years.
• The extent to which the nominee has made a contribution which demonstrates effective leadership for the entire pipeline industry.

PARTICULARS OF NOMINATION

• The extent to which the nominee has made a notable contribution to the entire pipeline industry or to a specific sector of the industry:
• The extent to which the contribution made by the nominee is generally regarded as a valuable contribution by the entire industry:
• The extent  to which the nominee has made a sustained contribution over a considerable number of years:
• The extent to which the nominee has made a contribution which demonstrates effective leadership for the entire pipeline industry:

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Previous Winners of the Outstanding Contribution Award

In 2000, the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association introduced an annual award to recognise the achievements of individuals under 35 years of age. The Young Achievement Award is awarded to an employee of an Owner, Lead or Corporate Member of APGA who has demonstrated a valuable and innovative contribution to the industry.

Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. The nominee must be 35 years of age or under on the 1st day of the year of nomination.

The award will be based on the following criteria:

• The extent to which the nominee has demonstrated a valuable contribution to the entire pipeline industry or to a specific sector of the industry.
• The extent to which the nominee has demonstrated an innovative approach in his or her work.
• The extent to which the nominee has demonstrated leadership potential.
• The extent to which the nominee has demonstrated excellent communication skills.

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Past Winners of the Young Achievement Award

This award was established in 2015 to honour its namesake who was an inspirational figure in the pipeline construction industry over more than four decades. The award recognises excellence in the construction industry.

While physical construction is, naturally, acknowledged as a central part of the whole pipeline sector and innovation, safety and high quality is now formally recognised as part of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association Awards.

However, nominees need not be limited to the physical construction projects. Jeff Shepherd was also highly regarded for his mentoring and training skills, bringing young people through the industry and ensuring they received broad and deep experience. Jeff was instrumental in developing the next generation of leaders.

The winner of the Award will be judged based on the following criteria:

• The extent to which the nominee has made a notable contribution to the pipeline construction industry.
• The extent to which the nominee has nurtured and mentored the next generation of leaders of the pipeline construction industry.
• The extent to which the nominee has introduced innovative practices to the pipeline construction industry.
• The extent to which the nominee has introduced appropriate safety practices to a project or to his/her company.

Members and former members are eligible to be nominated for the Award. Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. Current Board members are not eligible for the Award.

The nominations will be assessed, and the winner selected by the APGA Board of Directors.

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Past Winners of the Jeff Shepherd Award for Construction Excellence

Each year the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association presents a Safety Award to recognise the achievements of an APGA member in enhancing the safety of the pipeline industry and its personnel.

The award is open to all members of APGA, both companies and individuals. Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. Nominations will be evaluated on the basis of written submissions and consideration by an APGA committee comprising independent professionals and technical regulators.

The award is designed to recognise one or more of the following achievements, all of which aim to improve the safety of the pipeline industry and its personnel:

• Outstanding safety performance in the workplace, whether in office, industrial, project, or operations and workplaces.
• A unique innovation or measure addressing a safety issue.
• A new and well-defined safety system, procedure, or practice.
• A system or new measure to improve process safety.

In the case of the outstanding safety performance category, to win the award the nominee must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the evaluating committee, a suite of performance measures including both lead and lag indicators, the results of which demonstrate the actual performance over time. Such key safety statistics must include total recordable incident frequency rate and lost time injury frequency rates.

Performance by member organisations working on international projects will be recognised provided that such performance outside of Australia is substantiated.

For nominations on the basis of innovation or measure or a new system, procedure or practice, the submission must demonstrate:

• Proven effectiveness in improving the safety of pipeline industry personnel.
• Successful behavioural modification and improvement in attitudes to safety.
• Application and ease of sharing of the winning entry’s information throughout the industry.
• Industry-wide support for the entry’s proposal or initiative.
• Cost-effectiveness.

For nominations for a system or new initiative to improve process safety, the submission must demonstrate:

• A focus on minimising the risk of a major incident.
• A process safety initiative that is unique in the industry.
• An innovative and cost effective approach to improving public safety.

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Past Winners of the Safety Award

The Australian Pipelines and Gas Association has since 2012 presented an annual Environment Award to recognise the achievements of an APGA member in enhancing the environmental performance of the pipeline industry and its personnel.

The award is open to all members of APGA, both companies and individuals. Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. Nominations will be evaluated on the basis of written submissions considered by an APGA committee of independent professionals and technical regulators.

The award is designed to recognise one or more of the following achievements, all of which aim to improve the environment and achieve leading environmental practice:

• Outstanding environmental performance in the workplace, whether in office, industrial, project, or operations and workplaces.
• A unique innovation or measure addressing an environment issue.
• A new and well-defined environment management system, procedure or practice.

In all cases, to win the award the nominee must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the evaluating committee, that the program has been instigated and is functioning.

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Past Winners of the Environment Award

The APGA Diversity and Inclusion Award has been established to recognise and promote diversity and inclusion in the Australian pipelines and gas industries and the member companies operating in these industries.

This award recognises and promotes the positive contribution made by an APGA member that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution in the timeframe or introduced an initiative to encourage diversity and inclusion within the Australian pipelines and gas industries from 1 July of the year previous to 30 June of the year of nomination. The program or activities could have been begun before the nominated year but must have made a significant achievement in the nomination year to 30 June.

For the purposes of the award, diversity in the workplace means that an organisation employs a diverse team of people that is reflective of the society in which it exists and operates. Inclusion is taken to be the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organisation’s success.

Through the establishment of workforce inclusion and diversity programs and projects, nominating companies will be judged on and must demonstrate the application has met each of the following three indicative weighted criteria:

• Demonstrated diversity and inclusion outcomes (40 per cent).
• Commitment to enduring outcomes (30 per cent).
• Demonstrated innovation and leadership (30 per cent).

Written nominations for the 2023 Award must be submitted online by Friday 7 July 2023. Nominators are encouraged to include images that illustrate their entry. These will be used in APGA external publications and may also be given to media outlets for publication.

The Award is open to all current Full and Individual members of APGA. Nominations are to be made by the appointed representative of current Full Members of the association or by current Individual members. Nominations will be evaluated on the basis of written submissions and consideration by an APGA committee comprising independent professionals and technical regulators. Only nominations that respond specifically to the criteria listed above will be accepted.

Winners are awarded annually at the APGA Convention and Exhibition.

Past Winners of the Diversity and Inclusion Award