NexGen Leader Awards
The NexGen Leader Awards recognize rising EHS and Sustainability managers who possess the talent and skills required for the next generation of leaders.
Deadline to submit: Friday, July 17, 2026
Deadline to submit: Friday, July 17, 2026
NexGen Focus Areas
- Empowering Systems: Recognizes a leader who has successfully developed or enhanced a management system that led to achieving significant environmental/EHS objectives
- Championing Technology Innovation: Showcases the adoption and advancement of new technologies, tools, or platforms that realized improved business performance outcomes by a professional who also fosters a culture of technological innovation within organizations
- Keeping Employees Safe: Recognizes a professional who has made a difference by achieving safety program impacts, demonstrating leadership, and striving to extend the positive impacts of a safety-first culture throughout their organization
- Advancing Corporate Transparency: Recognizes individuals who developed internal systems/approaches to enhance accountability and disclosure, which resulted in effective communication of the company’s sustainability performance to its stakeholders
- Minimizing the Corporate Footprint: Recognizes individuals who achieved significant, positive results from specific projects or initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency, carbon management, waste reduction (including circularity), or water stewardship
Qualifications
EHS & Sustainability professionals who work in a corporation, consultancy, or firm that provides EHS&S services are eligible.Nominees must:
- Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in the fields of environment, health, safety, and/or sustainability and demonstrate significant potential
- Be recognized as an emerging EHS&S leader within their organization
- Demonstrate results within their area of responsibility
- Showcase proven decision-making and/or problem-solving ability
- Be dedicated to professional development
- Be committed to the EHS&S profession
Submission Requirements
- Nominator may be any corporate industry professional who is a supervisor/mentor of person being nominated or a company executive where person being nominated is employed.
- Nominators may nominate more than one individual — a separate form is required for each nominee.
- Self-nominations will not be accepted.
- Nominators and nominees do not have to be members of NAEM.
- Individuals who sit on NAEM's Board of Directors or Board of Regents
are not eligible to be nominated.
Required Documents
- A completed nomination form
