Abu Dhabi is expanding its search for eco-warriors and opening up the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environment Award to all emirates. The inaugural award, given out in 2024, had only been open to applicants in the capital. Next year, the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) plans to take it global.
"The next cycle I hope will be at the global level," Osama Bassam Abu Saleem of the EAD told The National. "We are working on that." The eco award was launched in 2023 to highlight efforts that focus on safeguarding the planet. It aims to raise awareness of important steps being taken on the path to sustainability by campaigners, researchers and businesses.
The award is named after the chairman of the agency's board of directors, who also serves as the Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed emphasised its importance as "we are at a defining moment in our environmental journey".
"The Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Award is an open invitation to all – scientists, businesses, policymakers and young leaders – to come together and drive meaningful change. Let us commit to building a future that is not only sustainable but also thriving, resilient and inclusive.”
Applications for the awards will open in March. Financial awards will be granted to the winners, with the total amount depending on the number and quality of submissions, Mr Abu Saleem said.
Categories in the awards include the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Medal, which will be awarded to people who have a positive impact on the environment, and the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Research Award, which recognises scientific research, either individual or collective, in the field of environment and sustainable development.
