The Nepal Geotechnical Society (NGS) has received the ISSMGE Outstanding Member Society Award 2026, one of the highest honours conferred by the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Australia was also named a recipient of this year's award.

To celebrate the achievement, the society organised a special felicitation and commemorative programme at the Universal Engineering and Science College in Lalitpur on Sunday.

The ISSMGE, a global professional organisation representing national geotechnical societies from 96 countries, presents the Outstanding Member Society Award every four years to recognise national member organisations that have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of geotechnical engineering and to the international geotechnical community.

According to engineer Kalpana Adhikari, NGS general secretary, Nepal received the award in recognition of its contributions to the development of professional geotechnical engineering, international collaboration, knowledge sharing and the society's active institutional engagement.

Speaking at the event, Adhikari shared her experience of accepting the award on behalf of Nepal at the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, held in Vienna, Austria. She described the opportunity to represent Nepal on an international platform as a matter of great pride.

The celebration was attended by representatives of various engineering professional organisations, government officials, university professors, representatives from the private sector, senior geotechnical engineers, and office-bearers and members of the Nepal Geotechnical Society.

The ISSMGE president, immediate past president and vice president for Asia also joined the programme virtually to congratulate Nepal. They praised the country's growing role and contribution within the international geotechnical engineering community.

NGS president Indra Prasad Acharya said the recognition was the result of the collective efforts of the society's past executive committees, former presidents, government agencies, universities, the private sector and partner professional organisations. He thanked all those who had contributed to the society's progress, saying the award belonged to everyone who had supported its journey.