Applications Now Open For Zayed Sustainability Prize's 2026 Cycle In 2024, the Zayed Sustainability Prize received 5,980 submissions from 156 countries.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize, a portfolio entity of UAE-based philanthropic initiative Erth Zayed Philanthropies, has officially announced its call for submissions for 2026.
Established in 2008, the Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE's pioneering global award for recognizing excellence in sustainability, which honors the the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE's Founding Father, H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
MORE ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
The award recognizes and rewards small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and global high schools with impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions. Since its inception, the Prize has awarded hundreds of winners who have positively impacted 400 million lives worldwide by advancing innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.
This year, the Prize invites SMEs, NPOs, and high schools to submit their projects in six distinct categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. In 2024, the Zayed Sustainability Prize received 5,980 submissions from 156 countries, reflecting a growing international commitment to sustainable development. As the 2026 submission cycle begins, the Prize aims to build on this momentum.
Commenting on the launch, H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize said: "The Zayed Sustainability Prize honours Sheikh Zayed's vision of advancing inclusive sustainable and humanitarian development. By supporting projects that harness new technologies to improve lives and drive prosperity in local communities, the Prize places people at the heart of progress, and demonstrates the role of the Nexus of Next in accelerating socio-economic growth worldwide."
KEY CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION
A reward of US$1 million will be up for grabs for the the winners of each organizational category, while those in the Global High Schools category -split into six world regions- can claim up to $150,000 to deploy or further expand their project.
Furthermore, for the 2026 cycle, applicants in the Health, Food, Energy, Water and Climate Action categories must prove that their solution is improving access to essential services in their communities, and that they can implement a long-term vision for better living and working conditions. For the Global High Schools category, projects should be led by students and must demonstrate innovative approaches to address sustainability challenges.
To encourage a wider range of organizations and high schools to participate, the Prize will accept submissions in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
SELECTION PROCESS
The evaluation of each submission will consist of a rigorous, three-stage process. First, due diligence will be conducted on all submissions to ensure that they meet the Prize's evaluation criteria of Impact, Innovation, and Inspiration. This will identify the qualified entries and results in the selection of eligible candidates. Following this, evaluations will be undertaken by a Selection Committee consisting of category-specific panels of independent international experts. From this shortlist of candidates, the finalists will be chosen and then sent to the Prize Jury who will unanimously elect the winners across all six categories.
The winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize will be announced at an Awards Ceremony in 2026.
The most recent Zayed Sustainability Prize winners were recognised at an Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates, alongside 11 Heads of State and several Ministers and business leaders. These distinguished guests witnessed the promise and impact of each winner, as well as the UAE's firm commitment to providing a platform for such solutions to grow.
For more details and to submit your application, please click HERE.
