
The Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards, presented annually since 2014, celebrate exceptional achievements in leadership, education, research, policies, and practices that improve resilience or climate justice through the development, advancement, or implementation of climate adaptation strategies. We know that celebrating success and showcasing the actions and leadership of our peers can help to accelerate adaptation across Minnesota, and beyond. Recipients have developed cutting-edge adaptation plans for their communities, supported project-specific implementation of adaptation investments, and served as leaders championing adaptation across their organizations.
2024 Nominations Are Now Open
Award Categories

- Individual Adaptation Award - Any individual who has offered significant leadership, provided education, developed or implemented strategies, conducted research, or otherwise made an impact in the field of climate adaptation in Minnesota. Leaders can be either emerging or established, with depth in one focus area or across a breadth of audiences or disciplines.
- Collaborative Adaptation Award - Any collection of individuals, organizations, or businesses that have worked together to achieve significant progress in climate adaptation or have implemented practices or projects that advance climate adaptation in Minnesota.
- Organization Adaptation Award - Any private sector, non-profit, community of faith, youth group, neighborhood association, local government unit, state or federal agency, tribal nation, educational institution, or similar entity that has achieved significant progress or implemented practices that advance climate adaptation in Minnesota.
- Creative Climate Communication Award - Any individual, organization, community group, or collection of individuals with a track record of successful climate change- and adaptation-related communication and engagement. This may include using visual arts, creative writing, social media, educational events, community convenings and engagement, or other creative communication approaches to engage, inspire and/or educate Minnesotans about climate change and its local impacts.
- Climate Justice Leadership Award - Any individual, organization, community group, or collection of individuals working to advance climate adaptation to reduce the likelihood that the burdens of climate change disproportionately impact vulnerable people and frontline communities, and that those communities have the resources they need to be prepared for and respond to the impacts of climate change.
How To Nominate
Complete the online nomination form. Deadline for nominations is Friday, November 10, 2023.
Nominations should describe the scope and impact of the nominee's efforts or accomplishments in climate adaptation, including, as applicable:

- Incorporation of adaptation principles. (Learn more about principles of climate change adaptation.)
- Benefit to Minnesota's communities, geographic regions, resources, or economic sectors including any focus on climate justice for vulnerable or traditionally under-served populations.
- Excellence within nominee's field and/or within climate adaptation in general
Demonstration of outstanding leadership qualities.
Award recipients will be notified in early December 2023 and presented with honors at the 2024 MCAP Awards Ceremony, to be held in winter 2024.
The Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards are sponsored by the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership in partnership with the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the University of Minnesota Extension.
MCAP 2024 Awards Committee

Kenneth ("Kenny") Blumenfeld
Committee Chair
Senior Climatologist
Minnesota State Climate Office

Heidi Roop
Director
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership

Nate Meyer
Associate Director
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership

Amanda Farris
Senior Program Manager
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership

Camilla Correll
Water Resources Engineer
EOR Inc.

Howard Creel
Senior Government R&D Specialist
3M
Troy Goodnough
Sustainability Director
University of Minnesota Morris

Mindy Granley
Sustainability Officer
City of Duluth, MN
A history of celebrating climate achievements
View past award recipients
Business Adaptation Award
- Murphy Warehouse
- Precipitate
- Room & Board
- The Guardian Building, St. Paul
Communication Award
Collaborative Adaptation Award
- Resilience & Adaptation Action Team that collaborated to develop the “Resilient Communities” goal chapter and other resilience and adaptation content of the Minnesota Climate Action Framework, published in September 2022.
- A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu team
- City of Rochester Sustainability and Resilience Task Force
Individual Adaptation Award
- Mindy Granley
- Jason Edens
- Meredith Cornett
- Olivia LeDee
- Paul Douglas
- Paul Huttner
- Paul Moss
- Sara Smith
- Sunny Ruthchild
Institution Adaptation Award
- Macalester College’s Ready and Resilient Climate Adaptation Research Team
- Metropolitan Council
- Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management and U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota, Duluth for the 2019 State Hazard Mitigation Plan
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Fisheries Research Unit
- Northern Institute for Applied Climate Sciences
- Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District
- University of Minnesota, Morris - Office of Sustainability and Center for Small Towns
Organization Adaptation Award
- Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District
- Ecolibrium3
- Climate Generation: Local Stories, Community Solutions
- HealthPartners
- Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
- Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
- Mississippi Park Connection and the Science Museum of Minnesota for their Plant for the Future project
- South Washington Watershed District