Heidelberg Materials launched the sixth edition of the Quarry Life Award, its nature-based competition, across more than 15 countries worldwide.
Researchers, students, local communities, NGOs and nature lovers from around the world can pitch ideas for sustainable quarry management and compete for prizes totaling around €300,000 (US$322,411).
The Quarry Life Award is in line with Heidelberg Materials’ commitment to working towards the Global Goal for Nature and contributing to nature positive. Together with partner organizations such as BirdLife International, Heidelberg Materials aims to raise awareness of biodiversity associated with extraction sites and nature as a whole.
“The Quarry Life Award is a key element of our biodiversity strategy, which relies on strong partnerships with stakeholders to engage across science, industry, and local communities,” said Dr. Nicola Kimm, chief sustainability officer and member of the managing board. “To truly move from biodiversity loss to gain, a concerted effort is needed by everyone, working together in the recovery of nature at a landscape scale. Our collaborative approach to environmental stewardship and conservation complements Heidelberg Materials’ industry-leading biodiversity program and our activities in sustainable water management.”
As a unique flagship initiative in the building materials industry, the Quarry Life Award was first established in 2011 and has since generated more than 450 innovative project ideas to promote and protect biodiversity. Building on the award, Heidelberg Materials seeks to develop best practices for quarry management which, among others, support the company’s contribution to the EU restoration agenda.
Quarries can offer a wide variety of habitats and support many endangered and/or protected species. The Quarry Life Award results in innovative ideas which can be developed into best practices to assist quarry biodiversity management and planning.
One such example is a previous international category winner who sought to better understand the habitat requirements of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis) in one of the company’s Australian quarries. Over the last five editions, nearly 1,100 participants in more than 100 quarries have investigated how to protect nature and promote a high diversity of local flora and fauna.
To participate in the competition, project proposals can be submitted in either the “Research” or “Community” streams. A maximum of six project ideas per country will be selected as finalists by the national juries. The juries are composed of experts from local universities and NGOs, as well as specialists from Heidelberg Materials.
From January to September 2025, Heidelberg Materials will then open its quarries for the realisation of the selected projects. In addition to 12 returning participating countries, Turkey, Egypt, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia have joined the current award round. The winners will be awarded at the end of 2025 at national and international level.