Atlantic Canyons: Pathways to the Abyss was voted to be the NOPP project that best exemplifies the program's partnership objectives by the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology’s Interagency Working Group on Ocean Partnerships (IWG-OP).  

This award is meant to recognize the strong partnerships that have been built over time and their impact on the oceanographic community and was evaluated based on six characteristics:

 1)      1. Ocean sector diversity among partners;

2)      2. Level of effort/involvement by partners;

3)      3. Long-term commitment of partners beyond the NOPP-funding period;

4)      4. The success of the partnership in meeting its project objectives;

5)      5. Impact of the effort on ocean research and/or education; and