The 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize
The 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize is a prestigious annual award that recognizes and rewards innovative, impactful, and inspiring solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. It is a pioneering global award that promotes sustainable development, recognizing visionary individuals and organizations that are making significant contributions to improving the lives of people and protecting the planet’s natural resources.
Established in 2008 by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize has become one of the most significant international awards in the field of sustainable development. It was named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the founding father of the UAE and a champion for environmental protection and sustainable development.
The 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize provides a platform for individuals, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-profit organizations (NPOs), and high schools around the world to showcase their innovative solutions that address key sustainability challenges. By doing so, it encourages and inspires others to take bold action towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
See also: UAE to Ban Single-Use Plastic January 1, 2024.
The importance of the 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize cannot be overstated. With the increasing threat of climate change, resource depletion, and socio-economic inequality, it is more critical than ever to recognize and promote sustainable solutions that have the potential to make a real difference. The 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize serves as a catalyst for driving positive change, encouraging innovation, and promoting collaboration across borders, cultures, and industries.
Each year, the Zayed Sustainability Prize selects winners from five categories: Climate Action, Health, Food, Energy, and Water. The Climate Action category is a new addition, aimed at recognizing and promoting solutions that address climate change and protect natural resources. Winners receive a prize purse of $600,000, which they can use to further their work towards sustainability goals.
1. Climate Action: This category promotes innovative solutions that tackle climate change and protect natural resources.
2. Health: Recognizes organizations that can demonstrate innovative solutions that promote health and well-being, particularly in low-income communities.
3. Food: Highlights solutions that address food security and reduce food waste, promoting sustainable agriculture and healthier food systems.
4. Energy: Recognizes innovative solutions that promote access to clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Water: Solutions that promote access to clean water, particularly in areas where there is a scarcity of water or inadequate sanitation.
6. Global High Schools: Recognizes the most innovative and impactful projects developed by high school students that promote sustainability and make a positive impact on their communities.
Here are five notable past winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize:
1. Liter of Light – Winner of the 2015 Zayed Sustainability Prize Energy category: The organization provides sustainable lighting solutions to low-income communities using recycled plastic bottles filled with water and bleach that refract sunlight into the room. The initiative has brought light to more than 850,000 households in over 30 countries worldwide.
2. Sanku – Winner of the 2018 Zayed Sustainability Prize Food category: Sanku provides small-scale millers with the technology and expertise needed to fortify flour with essential nutrients such as iron and zinc, reducing malnutrition in low-income communities. Their work has benefitted over 1 million people in Tanzania alone.
3. Sonnen – Winner of the 2018 Zayed Sustainability Prize Energy category: Sonnen offers a home battery system that allows households to store and use their solar energy, reducing reliance on the grid and promoting cleaner energy. Sonnen’s systems have been installed in more than 100,000 homes worldwide.
4. Bloom Nepal – Winner of the 2020 Zayed Sustainability Prize Global High Schools category: In addition to providing quality children’s education, Bloom Nepal also works to promote sustainable development in Nepal. The organization has implemented a number of projects, such as a biogas plant and a rainwater harvesting system, that help to reduce the school’s environmental impact.
5. We Care Solar – Winner of the 2021 Zayed Sustainability Prize Health category: We Care Solar provides a portable solar-powered suitcase that contains medical equipment and lighting for maternal healthcare centres in areas without reliable electricity. The initiative has helped save the lives of mothers and newborns in more than 30 countries.
2024 Finalists will be announced in September 2023. After the May 2023 submission deadline, the expert panel of judges began to review all entries to select up to ten finalists for each category. These finalists will then be invited to attend the award ceremony, which is set to take place on February 4, 2024, where the winners of each category will be announced.
The process of selecting the finalists involves a rigorous review of each submission to ensure that it meets the eligibility criteria and aligns with the values and objectives of the 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize. The judges consider various factors such as impact, innovation, feasibility, scalability, and sustainability.
Overall, the 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize plays a crucial role in promoting and recognizing innovative and impactful solutions towards sustainable development. The announcement of the finalists is an exciting milestone in the process, leading up to the award ceremony, where the winners will be revealed.
