AAPA’s Lighthouse Awards celebrate programs and projects that stand out as a beacon of excellence across the port industry. The Lighthouse Awards feature award specialty areas and categories that align with the goals of AAPA’s Technical Committees, recognizing various facets of port and maritime activities. The dedication of each committee to support these awards highlights AAPA's collective goal: to honor and inspire excellence in the port industry.
New for 2025, the Maritime Innovator of the Year Award will spotlight a program or project that features a standout product, technology, or service that enhances port operations, safety, sustainability, and/or efficiency. This prestigious award is exclusively for AAPA Industry Solution Provider (ISP) members.
Lighthouse Award Entries are due June 20, 2025
Applications must be submitted electronically in Submittable and attachments should be in PDF format by the specified deadline, adhering to the prescribed format and submission requirements. All application should be submitted in English.
Each application entry should include the following elements:
The Application should include sections for an introduction, background, goals and objectives, implementation and resources, award criteria and conclusion. There are eight criteria used to evaluate the entries including application content and organization, effectiveness, innovation, impact, integration, adaptability and others. A program/project can receive a possible total score of 100 points and must receive a score of at least 70 points to be considered for an award or certificate. Application requirements and award criteria are provided here.
Entry fees help cover the costs of the Lighthouse Awards program, ensuring that AAPA can continue to recognize and celebrate excellence in our industry with the integrity and attention it deserves.
Port Entry Fee: A non-refundable entry fee of $200 is required to process an application for the port Lighthouse Awards. The fee allows entry of a program/project in up to two categories.
Maritime Innovator of the Year Entry Fee: A non-refundable entry fee of $500 is required to process an application for the Maritime Innovator of the Year Award.
If an entrant is submitting more than one program/project, a separate application and entry fee should accompany each submission. Entrants can process payment for all applications in a single transaction. Please pay this fee via credit card through our secure online platform. Upon payment, you will receive a confirmation email containing a personalized application link to submit an entry. Please do not share this link with anyone outside of your organization.
Deadlines: All entries must be submitted through Submittable and all fees paid by no later than June 20, 2025.
Specialty Areas and Categories
Ports will have the opportunity to apply for Awards of Excellence in 10 specialty areas: Administration, Cruise, Economic Development, Environment, Facilities and Infrastructure Development, Finance, Legal, Public Relations/Communications, Security, and Technology. Within each specialty, there are two award categories, except the Public Relations/ Communications Awards which include 6 award categories. Most specialties have separate award categories for large and small ports to ensure ports are recognized for their achievements relative to their size and resources. A port's size is distinguished based on the following criterion:
- Small port has fewer than 55 full-time employees (FTEs) and less than $25 million in annual revenues.
- Large port has 55 or more FTEs and annual revenues that equal or exceed $25 million.
AAPA will give an Award of Excellence and a Certificate of Achievement in up to 24 categories. The Certificate of Achievement recognizes entrants who have demonstrated exceptional performance and contributions, narrowly missing the Award of Excellence.
Each entry can be submitted for up to 2 award categories, and there is no limit to the number of entries a port can submit. For example, a port could submit an entry for an environmental restoration initiative that required complex legal negotiations and regulatory compliance for both the Excellence in Legal Affairs Award and the Environmental Practices Award. Another example could be a project that involves the development of a new cruise terminal with state-of-the-art facilities and amenities. This project could be submitted for the Cruise Practices Award and the Facility and Infrastructure Development Award. An award submission may include components from other specialty areas, but each entry will be judged against other projects solely within that award category.
The Maritime Innovator of the Year Award celebrates exceptional products, technologies, or services by member ISPs that significantly enhance port operations, safety, sustainability, or efficiency. This award recognizes innovations with clear applications, positive outcomes, and relevance to real-world port environments. Key considerations include alignment with maritime sector needs, practicality, scalability, and encouragement of cross-sector collaboration and user-centered design. AAPA will present both a Maritime Innovator of the Year Award and an Award of Achievement to honor vision, creativity, and execution.
Submissions for the Maritime Innovator of the Year Award will follow the same application requirements as the Port Awards, ensuring consistency across all award categories. Applicants must address the specified award criteria in their submission and provide relevant supporting documentation as outlined in the award guidelines. celebrates exceptional products, technologies, or services by member ISPs that significantly enhance port operations, safety, sustainability, or efficiency. This award recognizes innovations with clear applications, positive outcomes, and relevance to real-world port environments. Key considerations include alignment with maritime sector needs, practicality, scalability, and encouragement of cross-sector collaboration and user-centered design. AAPA will present both a Maritime Innovator of the Year Award and an Award of Achievement to honor vision, creativity, and execution.
Submissions for the Maritime Innovator of the Year Award will follow the same application requirements as the Port Awards, ensuring consistency across all award categories. Applicants must address the specified award criteria in their submission and provide relevant supporting documentation as outlined in the award guidelines.
Finalists will be announced in September. Winners will be announced at the AAPA Annual Convention in Quebec. Finalists MUST complete a PowerPoint slide that includes specific entry information and graphics. A template will be provided by AAPA in your notification email. Any electronic media may be used for display and/or presentations, but the provision of such is the sole responsibility of the finalist.
Consent for Use of Applications
By submitting your application, you grant AAPA the right to share information about your project across AAPA communication channels. This includes, but is not limited to, AAPA social media platforms, websites, email newsletters, and magazine. Your participation helps us highlight and promote outstanding contributions to our industry.
For any questions regarding the AAPA Lighthouse Awards or your submission, please reach out to info@aapa-ports.org.
