Zayed Sustainability Prize Receives Record Entries from 173 Countries

Photo: WAM

The Zayed Sustainability Prize, one of the world’s most important awards for sustainability efforts, has closed entries for its 2026 awards cycle. The Prize, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), received a record-breaking 7,761 entries from 173 countries this year. These entries came from schools, businesses, and organizations working to solve big challenges in areas like health, food, energy, water, climate action, and education.

What the Zayed Sustainability Prize Is

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is a global award that supports people and groups who work on sustainable solutions that help others. It was created in the name of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Now in its 17th year, the Prize has helped improve the lives of over 400 million people around the world. It especially supports small businesses, nonprofits, and high schools to create long-lasting positive change in communities.

Focus on Six Important Categories

This prize is divided into six main categories:

• Health
• Food
• Energy
• Water
• Climate Action
• Global High Schools

Each category focuses on solving different global problems. For example, the Health category supports ideas that improve healthcare, and the Food category helps people come up with new ways to grow and share food more fairly.

Submissions Increased by 30 Percent

Compared to the last award cycle, this year’s entries increased by 30%. That means many more people and organisations are getting involved in finding real solutions to global problems. Many of the new projects include advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), carbon capture tools, and financial technology (fintech). These tech tools are being used along with local, community-led ideas to make a strong and long-lasting difference.

Strong Participation from Developing Countries

A large number of entries—about 85%—came from developing and emerging countries. Some of the top countries that sent in applications include India, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Brazil, and Indonesia. These countries are facing major environmental and social challenges, so they are creating creative solutions to improve life for their people.

Even developed countries like the United States and the UAE sent in many submissions, showing that sustainability is a global priority.

Popular Categories Show Global Concerns

Among the six categories, Climate Action and Food received the most entries. There were 1,880 submissions for Climate Action and 1,630 for Food. This shows how urgent the issues of climate change and food security have become across the world. People are looking for new ways to protect the environment and ensure there is enough food for everyone, especially in areas affected by disasters or poor growing conditions.

Health Entries Rose Significantly

Entries in the Health category rose by more than 60% this year. Many of these projects focused on using technology to improve healthcare. Some examples include:

• AI-powered diagnostics
• Wearable health devices
• Decentralised healthcare systems
• Better logistics and tracking for medicine delivery

These ideas are designed to make healthcare more accessible, especially in rural or underserved areas.

Smart Farming and Robotics in Food Category

In the Food category, a lot of entries featured precision farming and agricultural robots. These tools help farmers grow more food using fewer resources. Some projects also focused on making food systems more circular, which means reducing waste and reusing materials whenever possible.

Smart technologies like drones and sensors were also popular, helping farmers make better decisions based on data.

New Ideas for Energy Storage and Low-Carbon Fuels

In the Energy category, many projects introduced new ideas about thermal energy storage and low-carbon fuels. These are important for reducing pollution and preparing for future energy needs. Other submissions looked at how energy systems can be improved to handle growing demand and provide clean power to more communities.

Innovative Water Solutions

For the Water category, entries included exciting new ways to create freshwater. Some of these ideas were:

• Atmospheric water generation (pulling water from the air)
• Low-energy desalination (removing salt from seawater)
• Fintech solutions for fair water distribution

These innovations are meant to help areas where clean drinking water is hard to find.

Creative Climate Action Projects

The Climate Action submissions were filled with smart solutions. Some examples were:

• Nature-based solutions to restore forests and wetlands
• Direct air carbon capture to pull carbon from the atmosphere
• Predictive tools for natural disaster planning
• Indigenous knowledge-based conservation

These ideas focus on both mitigating (reducing harm) and adapting (adjusting to) the effects of climate change.

High School Students Show Leadership

The Global High Schools category showed a big increase in youth participation. Students around the world are stepping up with amazing sustainability ideas. Some of their projects included:

• AI tools for monitoring climate change
• Smart irrigation for school farms
• Low-cost water filters
• Apps for tracking waste and recycling

These projects show that young people are not just learning about sustainability—they are leading it.

What Happens Next

Now that the entries are closed, the Zayed Sustainability Prize team will move into the evaluation stage. The process has three main steps:

• Independent Review: A research group will go through all entries and make an initial shortlist.
• Selection Committee: Experts from different fields will examine the shortlisted entries and pick finalists.
• Final Jury: In October 2025, the Jury will meet to choose the winners from the finalists.

Prize Ceremony in January 2026

The winners will be announced at the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony on 13 January 2026. This event will take place during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, a major global gathering focused on sustainability issues.

• Winners in the five main organisational categories will receive US$1 million each.
• Six high schools—one from each global region—will receive US$150,000 each to support or grow their sustainability projects.

A Global Call for Sustainable Action

The 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize cycle shows a world ready to act. With nearly 8,000 entries from almost every country, people are using their creativity and technology to solve real problems in their communities. From students to scientists, the message is clear: sustainability is not just a goal—it’s a global movement, and everyone has a role to play.