An annual UAE environmental award offering support to organisations leading the fight against climate change has issued a global call for submissions for its 2026 prize.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize, named after UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, honours the critical work of small and medium enterprises, non-profit organisations and high schools seeking to transform lives around the world.
The $5.9 million prize pool is shared between the winners in six categories – health, food, energy, water, climate action and global high schools. Winners of five themed categories stand to win $1 million, while those in the global high schools category, which is divided into six world regions, can claim up to $150,000 to boost their projects.
To encourage a wider variety of organisations and high schools to participate, submissions will be accepted in several languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese.
To date, the prize, operated under Erth Zayed Philanthropies, has affected 400 million people worldwide.
“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," said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and director general of the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
Applications can be made on the prize's website.
2025 winners
The most recent prize winners were recognised at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi in the presence of President Sheikh Mohamed, as well as 11 heads of state and several ministers and business leaders.
India’s Periwinkle Technologies won the health category for its portable, AI-enabled cervical cancer screening device. It operates without electricity and provides results within 30 seconds.
In the food category, Nigeria’s NaFarm Foods won for its hybrid solar food dryers that prevent post-harvest losses. Australia's SkyJuice Foundation, meanwhile, picked up the award in the water category for its gravity-powered water treatment system, which uses low-pressure membrane filters to provide clean drinking water without the need for chemicals, pumps or external energy sources.
In the climate action category, OpenMap Development Tanzania won for its innovative mapping, which merges community-driven data collection with advanced technology including drones, geographic information systems and remote sensing.
Zayed Sustainability Awards 2025 - in pictures
