São Paulo – Applications for the 2027 edition of the Zayed Sustainability Prize have closed, with a 32% increase compared with this year’s edition, the award organizers announced on Monday (13). A total of 10,233 applications were submitted from 177 countries. The finalists will be announced in September, and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony in January 2027 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
According to the prize organizers, more than two-thirds of the applications came from developing countries, with “particularly strong participation” from Brazil, China, Bangladesh, Kenya and the UAE itself. Among developed countries, the United States and the United Kingdom showed “robust engagement.”
Now in its 18th edition, the Zayed Sustainability Prize recognizes small and medium-sized enterprises, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action and Global High Schools.
In 2027, the winner in each category will receive USD 1 million. Each of the six winning high schools—one from each continent—will receive USD 150,000.
Among the Brazilian organizations that have participated in the prize, the Associação Expedicionários da Saúde, which provides medical care to Indigenous communities, won in 2023, while Stattus4 won in 2026. The company, based in the countryside of São Paulo state, developed artificial intelligence solutions that help water utilities detect and reduce leaks in their distribution networks. In addition, Jade won the Health category in 2026. Founded in Brazil, the startup is now based in the UAE.
According to the prize organizers, the Climate Action category received the highest number of applications for this edition, with 2,505. It was followed by Food, with 2,261 applications; Health (1,807); Global High Schools (1,710); Energy (994); and Water (956). Across all editions of the prize, 139 winners have been recognized, with projects that have had a positive impact on 411 million people, according to the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
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Zayed Prize open for applications until June 22
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
