Apply for the 2025 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Transformative Solutions
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE’s first global award that acknowledges and rewards small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and international high schools for their impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions.
This Prize pays tribute to the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. So far, we’ve recognized 128 winners, and through their efforts, we’ve changed the lives of more than 400 million people.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize USD $5.9 million fund empowers small and medium sized enterprises, nonprofits, and high schools to develop sustainable solutions and transform their communities
Categories – Zayed Sustainability for Transformative Solutions
Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to apply. Explore the eligibility requirements for the six categories to find the most suitable one for your application.
Apply in 3 easy steps. Follow these simple steps to participate in this year’s cycle
- Register on the Prize Portal
- Fill out the form for your category
- Submit your application
Background – Zayed Sustainability for Transformative Solutions
The Zayed Sustainability Prize from the UAE, part of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, has made a difference in 400 million lives globally by promoting innovative solutions to urgent global issues. They’ve just opened up submissions for 2026! Celebrating 17 years of empowering future sustainability leaders, the Prize is calling on small to medium enterprises (SMEs), nonprofits, and high schools to share their projects across six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools.
In 2024, the Prize saw 5,980 submissions from 156 countries, showcasing a growing global dedication to sustainable development. As we kick off the 2026 submission period, the Prize is looking to build on this success and take advantage of the unique opportunity at the Nexus of Next, where tech innovation, human creativity, and strategic vision come together to boost progress around the world.
H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, commented on the launch: “The Zayed Sustainability Prize reflects Sheikh Zayed’s vision for inclusive sustainable and humanitarian development. By backing projects that leverage new technologies to enhance lives and foster prosperity in local communities, the Prize puts people at the center of progress and highlights the role of the Nexus of Next in speeding up socio-economic growth globally.
The Prize offers a whopping US $1 million to winners in each organizational category, while those competing in the Global High Schools category—divided into six global regions—can snag up to US $150,000 to launch or enhance their projects. This funding has already made a real difference, improving living conditions in at-risk areas worldwide, from boosting healthcare access in Southeast Asia to tackling food poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The latest winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize were honored at an Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi, attended by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the President of the United Arab Emirates, along with 11 Heads of State and various Ministers and business leaders. These esteemed guests got to see the promise and impact of each winner, highlighting the UAE’s strong commitment to fostering such innovative solutions.
For the 2026 cycle, applicants in the Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action categories need to show that their solutions are enhancing access to essential services in their communities and that they have a long-term vision for improving living and working conditions. In the Global High Schools category, projects should be student-led and must showcase creative strategies to tackle sustainability challenges.
To get more organizations and high schools involved, the Prize is open to submissions in various languages like Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Each submission to the Prize goes through a thorough, three-step evaluation process. Initially, due diligence is performed on all entries to confirm they align with the Prize’s criteria of Impact, Innovation, and Inspiration. This helps in identifying qualified submissions and selecting eligible candidates. Next, evaluations are carried out by a Selection Committee made up of independent international experts in specific categories. From this shortlist, the finalists are picked and then presented to the Prize Jury, who collectively choose the winners across all six categories.
The winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize will be revealed at an Awards Ceremony in 2026.
For more information and to submit your application, please click here.
Application for the Zayed Sustainability Prize submissions portal
- If this is your first time visiting the portal, we recommend you to download the FAQ document that serves as a guideline for new entrants.
- In order to start your entry, please Register an account with the Prize. An email will be sent to you to verify your email address. After the verification, you can start your entry by logging into the system. For your convenience, you will be able to save and return to your submission form for editing at a later time. However, you will not be able to edit your entry after you have submitted it.
- Submissions are open until 23 June 2025 5:00PM EST.
- To learn about the step-by-step application process, please watch our video tutorial.
- You can download forms for Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, Global High Schools
- To view a sample of a winning entry, please click here Water, Energy, Food, Global High Schools.
- Other details visit here OR here
