Abu dhabi: The Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE’s pioneering award for innovative solutions to global challenges, has announced this year’s finalists following a rigorous evaluation by its esteemed Jury. The winners will be revealed at the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony on 13th January 2026, held during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
According to Emirates News Agency, the Zayed Sustainability Prize’s Jury selected the 33 finalists from 7,761 entries received across six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools, marking a 30 percent increase in submissions over the previous year. Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, emphasized the transformative potential of this year’s finalists. He noted that the finalists are harnessing technology, finance, and community leadership to deliver solutions that are affordable, reliable, scalable, and generate socioeconomic value for the communities they serve.
Through the Prize’s 128 winners to date, 11.4 million people have gained access to safe drinking water, 54.1 million homes have gained access to reliable energy, 17 million people have gained access to more nutritious food, and over 1.2 million people have gained access to affordable healthcare. €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦
¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦€š¬…€œlafur Ragnar Grmsson, Chair of the Prize Jury, highlighted that this year’s finalists reflect a world awakening to the urgency of rapidly changing environmental and socioeconomic realities.
This year’s Health finalists are delivering transformative healthcare innovations that expand access to essential services in underserved communities. The finalists in the Health category include Drop Access from Kenya, Healthy Learners from Zambia, and Jade Autism from the United Arab Emirates. In the Food category, finalists such as E Green Global from South Korea, INMED South Africa from South Africa, and N and E Innovations from Singapore are pioneering sustainable agricultural solutions.
The Energy finalists are advancing inclusive approaches to sustainable energy, with BASE Foundation from Switzerland, GRST from China (Hong Kong), and Poder y Luz Maya from Guatemala leading the way. In the Water category, finalists like IRIBA Water Group from Rwanda, Stattus4 from Brazil, and The Great Bubble Barrier from the Netherlands are delivering breakthrough solutions to expand access to clean water.
Climate Action finalists include Build Up Nepal from Nepal, CLIC RECYCLE from Spain, and GREE Energy from China (Hong Kong), all leading transformative efforts in climate resilience. The Global High Schools’ finalists presented project-based, student-led sustainability solutions, with finalists from regions such as the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, and East Asia and Pacific.
Each winner in the Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action categories will receive US $1 million, while each of the six winning Global High Schools will receive up to US $150,000.
