Flood & Coast Excellence Awards 2026: Celebrating our award-winning projects and colleagues
An incredible evening at the Flood & Coast Excellence Awards saw us take home two awards, with both our projects and colleagues being recognised amongst the best of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management sector. Read on for all the highlights from this year’s ceremony.
Each year, the Flood & Coast Excellence Awards celebrate the exceptional projects, initiatives and individuals driving impact and innovation across FCERM. The awards recognise the best of the sector across eight categories, and we're incredibly proud to have had five finalists at this year's ceremony. Seeing so many of our colleagues and the projects we've supported recognised in this way is a testament to our exceptional teams, their diverse expertise and their ability to work collaboratively in the pursuit of climate resilience.
With two Flood & Coast award wins and several 'Highly Commended' awards, it was a truly unforgettable evening for everybody at JBA. So, here's a look at our award-winning projects and colleagues.
The PFR England Home Insurance Survey
Resilience in Action Award - Winner
Project partners: Rochdale Borough Council, International Property Flood Resilience Association, Environment Agency, British Insurance Broker Association
The PFR England Home Insurance Survey is a new approach designed to increase understanding and build financial resilience in deprived flood-risk communities, which also provides national insurance uptake data. Following the survey’s successful pilot as part of the Resilient Roch Project, Environment Agency surveyors appointed through the Property Flood Resilience 2 Framework now undertake home flood insurance uptake surveys as part of all Post Installation Audits. This provides a range of local and national benefits, including identifying communities and individuals who require support, providing information on PFR scheme alignment with national priorities on disadvantage and adopting targeted approaches to help those at risk build long-term resilience.
The Resilience in Action Award is further recognition of the incredible innovation, collaboration and community-focus at the heart of the Resilient Roch Project. Having also won the Innovation Award at last year’s Flood & Coast Excellence Awards, the project team have truly set the standard for innovation and impact. Congratulations to all involved!
Overstrand Coastal Community Transition Plan
Resilience in Action Award - Highly Commended
Project partners: North Norfolk District Council
The Overstrand Coastal Community Transition Plan has seen us working in collaboration with the Coastwise Team at North Norfolk District Council and the communities of Overstrand and Sidestrand to develop a tailored Coastal Community Transition Plan. The project involved extensive engagement with communities, businesses, infrastructure owners and policymakers across North Norfolk to understand the challenges of an eroding coastline.
As a result, we were able to support the creation of a co‑designed transition plan with flexible pathways and a practical action plan, and the formation of a local action group. Through extensive engagement via community events, surveys and workshops, we’ve also helped to create a more informed, empowered and resilient community ready to respond to the impacts of coastal erosion and climate change.
Rebekah Alford
Early Career Professional Award - Winner
The Early Career Professional Award recognises the next generation of leaders in FCERM – and we were delighted to see JBA’s Rebekah Alford named as the winner.
Having started her career with JBA in 2022 as a Flood Risk Analyst, Rebekah has seized every opportunity to advance her expertise by working across a wide range of projects and services. Alongside supporting key projects such as the Defra-funded FCRIP ResilienTogether as the Learning and Innovation Lead, Rebekah has taken on a variety of additional responsibilities. From serving as an Early Careers Representative on the CIWEM Flood and Coast Advisory Committee and presenting at the CIWEM Early Careers Conference, to completing a PGCert in Flood and Coastal Risk at Lancaster University. Rebekah as had made a truly incredible start to her career.
Tom Keene – Highly Commended
A special mention also has to go to JBA’s Tom Keene, who was Highly Commended in the Early Career Professional category. Like Rebekah, Tom has made an incredibly impressive start to his career and being named as a finalist highlights the significant contributions he has already made.
London Sustainable Drainage Opportunity and Benefit Map
Surface Water Management Award - Highly Commended
Project partners: Flood Ready London
Working in partnership with Flood Ready London, this project saw us develop a SuDS opportunity and benefit map that rapidly identifies and values SuDS retrofit opportunities across Greater London.
Using readily available data aligned with the latest surface water and sewer modelling, the tool links interventions directly to flood risk, storm overflow, and natural capital benefits, enabling flexible prioritisation to support delivery at scale. The findings of this project highlight both the scale of the opportunity and the potential impact of targeted investment – indicating the value of strategic prioritisation.
Our colleagues at JBA Bentley were also recognised at this year's Flood & Coast Excellence Awards. The Outstrays Managed Realignment Scheme was awarded Highly Commended in the 'Working with Nature' category, whilst the Meadowgate Regulator & Fish Pass project was awarded Highly Commended in the 'Innovation in Climate Resilience' category. Huge congratulations to the JBA Bentley team!
