Zayed Sustainability Prize sees major surge in global entries

The Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE’s global accolade for sustainability and humanitarian efforts, has officially closed its entries for the 2025 awards cycle.

This year, a total of 5,980 submissions poured in from 156 countries, across six key categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools.

Winners will be revealed on January 14, 2025, during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Submissions have surged by 15 per cent from last year, showcasing innovative solutions from SMEs, nonprofits, and schools. This year’s entries prominently feature cutting-edge technologies like AI, big data, blockchain, 3D printing, and biotechnology.

"This overwhelming response, particularly from young people and organisations in the Global South, reinforces our belief that innovations harnessing cutting-edge technologies like AI, coupled with community-driven approaches, are key to effectively addressing climate change and driving social and environmental progress," said Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize.

Most submissions came from emerging markets, and the top submitting countries included Brazil, India, Kenya, Egypt, the UAE and the United States.

This year, the prize accepted entries in multiple languages, including Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, ensuring broader participation and allowing diverse perspectives from different regions and cultures to be represented.

Following the close of submissions, the prize now enters the evaluation stage. All entries will be shortlisted by an independent research and analysis consultancy. A selection committee of globally renowned industry experts will then assess the qualified entries and shortlist the candidates.

The third and final tier of the evaluation process is the jury, which will convene in October to unanimously elect the winners in each category.

Each winner in the Health, Food, Energy, Water and Climate Action categories receives $1 million to expand the scope and scale of their sustainability solution(s), while the Global High Schools category has six winners, representing six world regions, with each winner receiving up to $150,000.

We're thrilled by the diverse, innovative applications we received! With 5,980 submissions across the globe, marking a 15% increase from last year. Thank you to all who submitted. Your commitment to accelerating sustainable progress is truly inspiring.#ZayedSustainabilityPrize

— Zayed Sustainability Prize (@ZSP_ORG) July 15, 2024