Zayed Sustainability Prize announces 30 finalists at jury meeting

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – (COMMERCIAL THREAD) – The Zayed Prize for Sustainability, the UAE’s pioneering award for recognizing sustainable solutions and humanitarianism, held its jury meeting to elect the winners of its current 2022 cycle, which will be announced at the award ceremony at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2022 (ADSW), this January.

A total of 30 finalists have been confirmed and are now up for 10 awards, across the five categories of global health, food, energy, water and high schools. This year, the award received a remarkable 4,000 nominations, marking a significant increase in nominations of 68.5% over the previous cycle, while attracting nominations from a record number of 151 countries, representing over of three quarters of the nations of the world.

The award jury, made up of former heads of state, government ministers and business figures, met in a virtual meeting to review the shortlisted nominations identified by the award selection committee in August.

In his remarks, HE Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates and Managing Director of the Zayed Prize for Sustainability, highlighted how the prize continues to act as a catalyst and an accelerator for global impact, from vital health solutions to improvements in food security, and from vital renewable energy to drinking water, adding: humanitarian and sustainable progress across the world.

The general manager of the award went on to say, “As the UAE celebrates its jubilee this year, the award aligns perfectly with the ‘principles of the fifty’, the progress plan that our wise leaders announced earlier this year. this month to expand the country’s positive economic situation. global impact. The Prize has already improved the lives of millions of people around the world and will continue to develop as a force for good that contributes to a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable world, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He added that the widespread level of participation from knowledge-based economies and emerging markets reflects the current direction towards greater social inclusion as the world prepares for COP26 and accelerates resilience to climate action in the context of evolution of the post-pandemic recovery.

This year, finalists have addressed and proposed effective solutions for a range of global challenges, often presenting integrated solutions that can benefit communities in more than one area, such as energy and water synergies. Most of the entries have focused on ecosystem resilience and the affordability of solutions, highlighting clear arguments for the economic benefits of sustainability innovation, while many of these solutions take advantage of emerging technologies. generation such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT) to drive impact.

Jury President and Former President of the Republic of Iceland HE Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson added: “The innovation and diversity demonstrated in this year’s entries, including inspiring projects imagined by young people, is a testament to the Sustainability Pioneers Award’s continued ability, around the world, while providing a platform and springboard for transformation and further human impact.

SE Grímsson noted that postponing last year’s cycle was a necessary step to protect global participants from the prize with the advent of COVID-19, however, it allowed the prize to attract and capture the inspiring concepts. developed by forward-thinking organizations in response to one of the world’s most unprecedented crises.

Health finalists notably focused on strengthening affordable access to health care for isolated and vulnerable communities and on easier and better ways of delivering care, especially during the pandemic, such as telemedicine. Health entries also focused on developing technology platforms through automation and the improvement and accuracy of data and reporting to protect communities from preventable disease.

The finalists in the “Health” category are:

• Mamotest (Argentina), an SME that has an innovative approach to medical imaging through the use of teleradiology centers in underserved areas.

• Medic Mobile (United States of America), an NPO that combines R&D and technical design to capture health data for primary health care.

• Project Andiamo Ltd (UK), an SME that guarantees scalable and transportable solutions by combining innovative 3D printing with advances in machine learning to automate personalized medical device processes.

This year’s Food finalists notably focused on supporting the circular economy through key commitments such as food waste reduction and energy recovery, while fighting climate change by promoting local inclusion. and reducing pollution. More generally, food security was also a priority this year, with finalists highlighting ways to improve agricultural technologies and the livelihoods of rural people and farmers through innovative solutions to sustainably strengthen supply chains, mitigate production challenges and overcome logistical obstacles.

The “Food” finalists are:

• Safi Organics (Kenya), a fertilizer production SME that works to meet the challenges of rural farmers facing expensive or inappropriate fertilizers that lead to soil acidification and loss of yield.

• S4S Technologies (India), an SME committed to empowering rural women and harnessing new technologies to reduce food waste and improve farmers’ incomes.

• Tecnologías AgriBest, SA DE CV (Mexico), an SME that deploys biotechnology to improve crop yields for farmers and facilitate cost savings.

Meanwhile, competitors in the Energy category presented a wide range of technical solutions to improve energy access and efficiency. This ranged from energy storage and solar home systems to power grids and solar-generated water supply solutions, meeting the growing energy needs of various communities, from cities to rural areas.

The finalists in the “Energy” category are:

• ME SOLshare Ltd. (Bangladesh), an SME that created an interconnected micro-grid for peer-to-peer energy exchange to enable more efficient distribution of electricity in rural communities.

• Planet Ark Power (Australia), an SME that uses AI and IoT through the first fully two-way power grid to reduce energy costs.

• Tongwei New Energy (China), an SME that integrates smart aquaculture and solar photovoltaic energy to improve food security through an innovative business model.

For their part, the finalists in the Water category presented a range of value-added innovations that take advantage of modern technology to achieve “clean water for all” and reduce water-borne illness and death. for communities around the world.

The finalists in the “Water” category are:

• Boreal Light GmbH (Germany), a design and manufacturing SME that creates affordable solar desalination systems for off-grid communities in Africa.

• OffGridBox, Inc (United States of America), an SME that deploys microfiltration and UV sterilization for solar water purification and desalination.

• Wateroam (Singapore), an SME committed to meeting the global challenge of contaminated water through portable water filters to serve rural and disaster-stricken communities.

The Global high school finalists showcased project-based, student-led sustainability solutions, with the finalists divided into 6 regions. Regional finalists include:

Americas: Iniciativas Ecológicas (Venezuela), Instituto Iberia (Dominican Republic) and Liceo Arturo Alessandri Palma (Chile).

Europe and Central Asia: JU Gimnazija “Biha” (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Liceo Europeo (Spain), and Romain-Rolland-Gymnasium (Germany).

Middle East and North Africa: Eastern Mediterranean International School (Israel), Gifted Students School (Iraq) and Umm Al Arab (United Arab Emirates).

Sub-Saharan Africa: Daddies Firm Foundation School (Ghana), Lighthouse Primary and Secondary School (Mauritius) and Sharia Assembly of Uganda (Uganda).

South Asia: The BlinkNow Foundation (Nepal), Hira School (Maldives) and Man Kuwari Hansa Higher Secondary School Barela (India).

East Asia and the Pacific: Bohol Wisdom School (Philippines), International School of Asia, Karuizawa (UWC ISAK) (Japan) and Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy (China).

In the Health, Food, Energy and Water categories, each winner receives $ 600,000. The Global High Schools category has six winners, representing six regions of the world, with each winner receiving up to $ 100,000. Since its launch in 2008, the US $ 3 million award has directly and indirectly transformed the lives of more than 352 million people in 150 countries. Today, the Prize remains a catalyst for solving the world’s most pressing problems, as it continues to stimulate and have a long-term impact on diverse communities across the globe.

About the Zayed Sustainability Prize

Created by the leaders of the United Arab Emirates in 2008, to honor the legacy of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Award for Sustainability is the UAE’s pioneering global award to recognize sustainability and solutions humanitarian organizations around the world.

The Zayed Sustainability Prize recognizes and rewards global pioneers and innovators who are committed to accelerating impactful sustainable solutions.

Over the past 13 years, the Prize has awarded 86 laureates. Collectively, they have had a direct and indirect positive impact on the lives of over 352 million people around the world. The categories of the Zayed Sustainability Prize are: Global Health, Food, Energy, Water and High Schools.

For more information, please visit www.ZayedSustainabilityPrize.com or access our social media platforms on, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube.

*Source: AETOFil