The Sarphati Sanitation Awards were created in 2013 to honour individuals or organisations having made contributions to global sanitation and public health, notably through entrepreneurship.
They are awarded every two years, and named in honour of Samuel Sarphati, a Dutch sanitation engineer.
They were created by World Waternet, the Netherlands Water Partnership and Aqua for All, and are endorsed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Directorate-General for International Cooperation.
They are usually awarded during the Amsterdam International Water Week.
Originally a single award, from 2015 the awards were split into the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Promising Entrepreneurs.