QAZAQ GREEN.  The UAE’s flagship global award for sustainability and humanitarian progress, the Zayed Sustainability Prize, has officially opened submissions for its 2026 cycle. SMEs, non-profits, and high schools offering innovative solutions to global challenges can apply until 23 June 2025 via the Prize’s official website.

Entries are accepted in six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. Winners in the first five categories will each receive US $1 million to implement or scale their solutions. In the Global High Schools category, one winner from each world region will be awarded up to $150,000 to bring their sustainability project to life.

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Prize, emphasized: “The Zayed Sustainability Prize reflects Sheikh Zayed’s vision for inclusive, humanitarian, and people-centered sustainable progress.”

During the 2025 award ceremony held at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the winners were congratulated by global leaders including President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

Chair of the jury, former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, concluded: “This year’s winners are advancing powerful solutions that address global warming, healthcare, food security, and water access — with measurable impacts on vulnerable communities. They’re helping move the needle toward the Sustainable Development Goals.”