First presented in 2022, the MDAQMD presents the Air Aware Award to select permitted facilities within its jurisdiction who meet several criteria including successful annual permit inspections (at least three years consecutively), no history of compliance notices within that time period, exceptional records keeping, rules and regulation knowledge of facility staff during inspections, ease of inspection and more.

Based on the above criteria, facilities in several categories are eligible for this honor: batch plants (asphalt, concrete, etc.); mining; coating operations; dry cleaners; fiberglass; asbestos; crematorium, ovens, boilers; engines, turbines; manufacturing; government.

Each year of award presentation is based on the previous year's inspection as the most recent point of reference. For example, recipients in 2024 are selected based on the 2023 inspection year.

2024 Air Aware Award Recipients: