Following the official announcement by the World Corrosion Organization (WCO), the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) is proud to announce that its President, Dr Yunnan Gao, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 World Corrosion Organization (WCO) Corrosion Awareness Honour, a major international recognition of his sustained leadership in promoting corrosion awareness, education, outreach and global collaboration.
This prestigious international honour recognises Dr Gao’s outstanding contribution to raising the profile of corrosion and corrosion protection across industry, academia, professional institutions and the wider engineering community. The award was established by the WCO in association with the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) and the Chinese Society of Corrosion and Protection (CSCP) and recognises pioneering individuals who have made a substantial contribution to raising awareness of corrosion and corrosion protection among government, industry and the general public.
The official WCO announcement is available here: https://corrosion.org/Awards/Corrosion+Award+2026.html.
Commenting on the award, Dr Gao said:
“I am truly honoured and deeply humbled to receive the WCO Corrosion Awareness Honour. I see this recognition not only as a personal honour, but also as recognition of the collective efforts of the many colleagues, volunteers, professional organisations and industry partners around the world who are working together to raise awareness of corrosion and promote better corrosion prevention and protection.”
“Corrosion has profound implications for safety, infrastructure resilience, sustainability and society. I firmly believe that increasing awareness and understanding of corrosion is essential if we are to prevent avoidable failures, protect our infrastructure and support a more sustainable future. I am particularly pleased that this WCO honour recognises the importance of awareness, education, collaboration and communication in achieving this goal.”
The Institute of Corrosion warmly congratulates Dr Yunnan Gao on this prestigious international recognition. His receipt of the WCO Corrosion Awareness Honour is a proud moment for ICorr and a reflection of the Institute’s continued commitment to advancing corrosion awareness, professional competence and international cooperation.
The award will be formally presented by WCO President Prof. En-Hou Han during the plenary session on the morning of Thursday 10 September 2026 at EUROCORR 2026 in Dublin, where ICorr looks forward to celebrating this important achievement with Dr Gao and colleagues from across the global corrosion community.
About the Institute of Corrosion
The Institute of Corrosion (ICorr), established in 1959, is the UK professional body dedicated to advancing the science, engineering and professional practice of corrosion prevention and control. Through its members, branches, technical divisions, training, publications and international partnerships, ICorr promotes professional competence, knowledge sharing and best practice in corrosion management for the benefit of industry, infrastructure and society. To find out more about ICorr, visit: https://www.icorr.org/.
