SoundScapeIssue 02 18Noise Oscars 2011The NAS announced the winners of the 11th annual John Connell Awards on 8th November 2011 at a packed awards ceremony in the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, in London. SoundScape was there to hear what the buzz was about The John Connell Awards recognise and promote innovative ideas and initiatives from local government, industry, individuals and organisations that have made a positive impact on the reduction of excessive noise in the community. They are named in honour of the Society's erstwhile founder, John Connell OBE, who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960 when noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK. Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Parliamentary under Secretary of State, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who opened the evening, said "The NAS provides a vital conduit between government, industry and academia, piloting creative and pragmatic schemes to reduce the effects of noise on communities." The awards were hosted by Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade, on behalf of the NAS Trustees, who praised the work, "The ceremony is a unique event which applauds the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to make our lives quieter, here and around the world. Once again we heard of pioneering technologies and practices that show initiative, cooperation and determination to tackle the complex issues of noise pollution."The award winners and categories were:John Connell Local Authority Award 2011 sponsored by Rockwool, celebrates initiatives concerning noise that were shining examples of co-operation, raising awareness and creative solutions for improving quality of life in the communityWinner Westminster City Council, London developing a Noise Strategy through public consultation which enables effective mitigation, whilst building enhanced soundscapesHighly Commended Gloucester City Council, developing a holistic and sustainable approach to dealing with neighbourhood noise complaints Highly Commended Worcestershire Regulatory Services, a new shared service bringing together Environmental Health & Licensing services from six districts with Trading StandardsEnterprise in Quiet Transport Award sponsored by the Freight Transport Association, given in recognition of quiet transport schemes Winner Carrier Transicold for their low noise family of products Highly Commended Bosch Rexroth Silence Plus gear pumps John Connell Innovation Award encourages the development of new solutions to resolve noise pollution problemsWinner Organ of Corti recycling environmental sounds and reframing them in new ways John Connell Technology Award sponsored by the Institute of Acoustics, applauds the role of industry in developing low noise solutions Winner Linde FrostcruiseT Cryogenic in-transit refrigeration system Highly Commended Echo Barrier H1 and range of temporary acoustic barriers Trude Adler Award celebrates the unsung heroes who make our world a quieter place to live Winners The Women of Sibson and Geraldine Nicholson for the No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG) campaignSilent ApproachT Award sponsored by Brigade Electronics, encourages the development of low noise solutions to benefit communitiesWinner Professor Jian Kang, University of Sheffield, for Soundscapes in Urban Open Public Spaces Highly Commended BAM Nuttall for Derby Station European Soundscape Award sponsored by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Brigade Electronics, recognises European initiatives to improve the aural environment

SoundScapeIssue 0219Winner The Municipality of Wijchen and the province of Gelderland's Graafseweg reconstruction project Highly Commended The Dutch Noise Abatement Society's, Electric Heroes Campaign tackling noise from mopeds and scootersQuiet Mark Award of Distinction celebrates the international mark of approval awarded by the NAS for excellence in quiet designWinner Lexus for its prominent Join the Quiet Revolution campaign John Connell Lifetime Achievement Award honours those who have made outstanding contributions and worked tirelessly to affect solutions to noise pollution. This year's recipients were: Professor Bridget Shield, Professor of Acoustics at London Southbank University and President-elect of the Institute of Acoustics Bernard Berry, globally acclaimed expert, adviser and Chairman of the main British Standards Institution (BSI) Technical Committee on AcousticsFull awards list at noiseabatementsociety.com