Established in 2004, the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK. With sustainability moving up the agenda, the Awards have become established as the most prestigious recognition of best practice within the further and higher education sector. The Green Gown Awards are administered by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and are governed by a cross agency steering group. With 180 applications received across 14 categories, our research, ‘Saving millions of lives by enhancing the solar disinfection of water (SODIS)’, was announced as a finalist in the research and development category in June. As part of the application we were asked to create a short video on our project. We are also in the process of publishing this work, and the most recent version of the work can be found here (UV dosimetry for SODIS). The winners of the Green Gown Awards 2014 will be announced at the Green Gown Awards’ Ceremony in November, which will be attended by Dr Katherine Lawrie.