2026 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit
November 9
Celebrate the future of a resilient Bay at the 2026 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit — the region’s premier gathering for sea level rise adaptation — presented by BCDC in partnership with the Exploratorium and Greenbelt Alliance.
Mark your calendar: The 3rd annual Rising Together returns on November 9, 2026, at the Exploratorium—and it’s set to be our biggest summit yet.
In just a few years, Rising Together has become a go-to convening for the Bay Area’s adaptation leaders and practitioners — a place where ideas turn into action. This year’s summit will be an energizing, hands-on experience, with thought-provoking panels, visionary keynotes, behind-the-scenes tours, interactive workshops, and creative activities designed to spark new partnerships and accelerate real progress.
Bay Adapt Awards Nominations Are Open
As part of the Summit, BCDC will also present this year’s Bay Adapt Awards, honoring the innovators, leaders, and changemakers driving bold solutions to sea level rise. These awards celebrate not just what’s been achieved, but what’s possible when a region comes together to meet one of the defining challenges of our time.
We are excited to announce that nominations for the 2026 Bay Adapt Awards are open. Nominate visionary leaders through a quick form.
Across our region, extraordinary people are driving groundbreaking sea level rise adaptation—from the lab to the legislature to the shoreline. We want to honor those who are:
- Advancing cutting-edge science: making scientific data, information, and guidance easier to access and use.
- Building community power: bringing people together and elevating communities to lead adaptation efforts.
- Spreading the word: broadening public understanding of climate science and its local impacts.
- Moving the needle on policy and funding: advancing adaptation plans and securing resources.
- Getting it done on the ground: accelerating real, tangible adaptation projects.
- Tracking progress: monitoring adaptation work to guide smarter future action.
We welcome nominations for long-standing champions and emerging leaders alike—scientists, policymakers, activists, community organizers, and anyone in between who is helping build a more resilient Bay. Revisit our last year’s awardees and nominate someone who inspires you. Submit your nomination today!
Nominations close August 1st, 2026.
Recap 2025 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit
Check out the recap of the 2025 Summit and learn more about the inspiring awardees by checking our exclusive interviews on the blog: