William M. Benkert Marine Environmental Protection Award
The William M. Benkert Award Program honors a great leader in the field of marine safety. It is therefore especially satisfying for the Coast Guard to be able to recognize leadership, great innovation and creativity of industry leaders who showcase their initiatives through this award program.

 Prestige
The William M. Benkert Award is the premiere marine environmental protection award presented by the Coast Guard to members of the Marine Industry. This biennial award recognizes organizations for outstanding achievements in all aspects of marine environmental protection.

Benefit to society
Besides the prestige associated with the William M. Benkert Award, the process offers a venue for the creative exchange of ideas and innovations, which can benefit all of society.

Self-Challenge
This award application provides an excellent road map for organizations to assess management strengths and weaknesses in marine operations and environmental compliance. 

Awareness
Completing the award application process heightens awareness and underscores the innovation required to achieve environmental excellence.

Objectives
The Award Objectives Include:
Ø Improving the environmental performance and overall quality of marine transportation related companies, through a detailed self-assessment process against award standards
Ø Encouraging the use of the international environmental management protocol developed by the International Standards Organization.
Ø Increasing public awareness of the importance of protecting the marine environment and delicate marine ecosystems.
Ø Providing a means for sharing with other marine enterprises successful methods and techniques used by the winners.

Eligibility
Any marine transportation related commercial organization owning, operating, or otherwise managing vessels, designated waterfront facilities, fleeting areas, oil spill removal organizations, or other entity engaged in maritime operations subject to Coast Guard regulations are eligible to become an award applicant. Applicants must complete the requirements posted on our website (listed on the reverse of this brochure) to be eligible for further consideration. The award categories that define the qualification criteria are identified below.

Categories
Small Business
Vessel Operations Category
· Have its headquarters based within the United States; and
· Have fewer than 50 full-time employees at the applying location.

Facility Operations Category
· Be geographically located within the United States;
· Be a marine facility (ex. defined in 33 CFR 126 or 33 CFR 154, shipbuilding or directly involved with the movement of vessels); and
· Have fewer than 50 full-time employees at the applying location.

Special Small Business
· Be geographically located within the United States;
· Be a marine transportation related commercial organization owning, operating, or otherwise managing vessels, designated waterfront facilities, fleeting areas, oil spill removal organizations, or other entity engaged in maritime operations subject to Coast Guard regulations; and
· Have a maximum of 25 full-time employees.

Large Business
Vessel Operations Category
· Headquarters based within the United States; and
· Have a minimum of 50 full-time employees at the applying location.

Facility Operations Category
· Be geographically located within the United States;
· Be a marine facility (ex. defined in 33 CFR 126 or 33 CFR 154, shipbuilding or directly involved with the movement of vessels); and 
· Have a minimum of 50 full-time employees at the applying location.

Foreign Vessel Operations Category
· Headquarters located anywhere in the world;
· Vessels registered in a country other than the United States;
· At least 25% of fleet called a U.S. port a least once during the award period; and
· Have a minimum of 250 full-time employees, including vessel personnel.

Criteria & Submission Details
Please see attachment 'Benkert Criteria Details.pdf' for a detailed description of criteria in which your application will be measure.

Award candidates must follow the prescribed format for the submission of award packages to ensure fairness in evaluation of submissions.  Make submissions concise and factual.  Examples of proactive and innovative procedures or programs should be included in the appropriate section of the application. Prepare each section of the report as if it is a stand-alone executive summary.  Follow the evaluation guidance criteria in the award criteria attachment of this website.  Accomplishments and trends should cover the time period of the award cycle and if possible, include projections where they are reasonable.

* Applications should not exceed 40 pages. Submissions containing more than 40 pages will NOT be accepted.  They will be returned without review.

Five copies of the Award Application Report should be submitted to Coast Guard Headquarters at the following address:

COMMANDANT (CG-FAC-2)

ATTN: BENKERT AWARD PROGRAM

US COAST GUARD STOP 7501

2703 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AVE SE

WASHINGTON DC 20593-7516

Benkert Award Program Manager
Mr. Kevin McDonald, Kevin.McDonald@uscg.mil

 2024 Awards Timeline