Zayed Sustainability Prize is a annual industry award recognizing excellence in Sustainability. Organized by Zayed Sustainability Prize (Abu Dhabi, UAE), it covers the Global region. Established in 2008.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE's global award for sustainable development, running since 2008 in honour of the country's founding father, Sheikh Zayed. It is open to nonprofit organisations and small-to-medium enterprises worldwide (plus a dedicated Global High Schools track) across six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action and Global High Schools. Evaluation runs in three stages — an initial due-diligence review against core criteria, detailed assessment by category-specific Selection Committees of subject experts, and a final Prize Jury that unanimously elects the winners; jury members have included senior UAE government figures alongside international leaders.
The prize fund for the 2027 cycle is US$7.2 million: US$1 million for the winner of each of the five organisational categories and US$150,000 per winning school in Global High Schools, with finalists also receiving support (US$100,000 per organisation finalist and US$25,000 per school finalist). Since inception the program counts 128 winners and credits its laureates with improving the lives of more than 400 million people, which is why a win — or even a finalist slot — carries real weight with funders, development agencies and impact investors. Winners are celebrated at a high-profile awards ceremony each January.
Applications are made directly through the prize's online entry portal; submissions typically open in January and close in mid-to-late June (the 2027 cycle deadline was 22 June 2026), with finalists announced in September and winners the following January. This is an impact prize, not a marketing award: strong entries come from organisations with an already-implemented, financially viable solution and hard evidence of outcomes, plus a credible plan for scaling. Expect heavy global competition and prepare data on beneficiaries, innovation and long-term sustainability before you start the form.