Anyone with the time to commit, an interest in water and operations, and a passion for giving back to the water community. Please note that an actively competing team member is not allowed to volunteer unless permission is given by the Operations Challenge Community Leadership.

Most of our volunteers are judging one of the five events. There is a mandatory two-hour training provided for judges, so you do not need to be an expert on the event to judge. There are other opportunities to help with setup, new team orientation, and event support. Please browse the various sign-up links below for details.

Most volunteers are required to volunteer for at least one full day of the conference, Monday or Tuesday, as well as a two-hour judges training either the day before or the day of your commitment. Details are provided in the sign-up. Please note that you are committing to the entire time slot you sign up for. You are not able to take breaks to attend meetings or sessions. There is a scheduled break for lunch and convenience breaks as needed.

Start by looking at opportunities available during your favorite event. If you are unfamiliar with each event, browse the Operations Challenge YouTube playlist and the Operations Challenge Resource Center to learn more about each event. Once you decide on the event you would like to judge, watch the Event Tutorial to become familiar with the specifics of that event.

A limited-edition Operations Challenge Official T-shirt, a boxed lunch if you are a volunteer for a shift that covers the lunch period, friendships that will last a lifetime, and the knowledge that you contributed to the sector’s most respected and successful professional development opportunity for water professionals.

Volunteers can receive 0.6 credits for each day they volunteer, Monday and Tuesday. You will need to make sure to get your badge scanned each day you volunteer to receive credits.

If you would like to volunteer to be a Judge for Operations Challenge at WEFTEC 2026, please sign up via the appropriate event link below.

• Process Control
• Laboratory
• Collections – FULL
• Vaughan Maintenance
• Safety

If you have not volunteered before, please fill out this form at any time throughout the year to be added to our volunteer list.

To volunteer for Operations Challenge you need to be registered for WEFTEC. Volunteers should register using a promocode, which will identify you as an Operations Challenge volunteer and get you access to the Operations Challenge Competition area. The promocode is shared once the volunteer sign up links go live a few months prior to WEFTEC. If you are signed up to volunteer and have not received the code, please contact OpsChallenge@wef.org.