The Zayed Sustainability Prize has revealed its 2027 finalists from a record 10,233 submissions from 177 countries, representing a 32% increase over the previous year’s submissions. The finalists span six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools, with every finalist guaranteed financial support.
Record Submissions and Expanded Financial Backing
Formerly known as the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the initiative now covers a broader range of topics. For the 2027 cycle, organizational finalists across Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action will receive US $100,000 each. Meanwhile, Global High Schools finalists will receive US $25,000 each. Category victors will instead be granted the top prize during the upcoming awards ceremony: US $1 million for organisational categories and US $150,000 for Global High Schools.
Innovations Across Health, Food, and Energy
The finalists deploy advanced technologies tailored to regional challenges. Elythea, an American SME in the Health category, leverages artificial intelligence to forecast pregnancy complications 6 to 8 months beforehand utilizing standard first-trimester data. Operating across 48 hospitals, Dutch SME GOAL 3 pairs robust bedside vital-sign tracking with tablet-based medical charts to spot health declines in newborns and children at an earlier stage. Based in Spain, SME Marsi Bionics utilizes a pediatric exoskeleton featuring smart robotic joints that simulate muscle action to deliver tailored walking aid to more than 3,000 children.
Food security finalists focus on regenerative agriculture and waste valorization. Treating over 13 million acres, U.S.-based SME Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies employs microbial biotechnology—merging beneficial soil bacteria with fungal endophytes—to assist crops in withstanding heat, drought, salinity, and nutrient stress. Utilizing patented nanotechnology and biotechnology within a solar-powered facility, Colombian SME ALSEC Alimentos Secos transforms polluting liquid whey sourced from artisan cheese makers into purified water and protein components. Japanese SME TOWING manufactures “Soratan,” which is a biochar treatment fortified with custom-grown microorganisms capable of reviving soil health over roughly a one-month period.
Energy access solutions highlight decentralized distribution and alternative materials. Reaching in excess of 4.6 million individuals, Nigerian SME Energy Assured delivers shared mobile solar irrigation pumps, clean cookstoves, and pay-as-you-go solar home systems. Singaporean SME Flint crafts a rechargeable cellulose-powered battery that relies on zinc-manganese electrodes, thereby discarding nickel, cobalt, lithium, and flammable electrolytes. Bringing together proven clean energy tech with community ownership, local delivery networks, and blended finance, Indian NPO Sustain Plus has rolled out upward of 34,000 decentralized solutions.
Water Security and Climate Action Finalists
Water and climate finalists tackle resource scarcity through ecosystem restoration and circular systems. Bolivian NPO Fundación Aguatuya implements decentralized modular treatment facilities to turn wastewater into biofungicides, irrigation water, and compost. In Bangladesh, Rupantar, an NPO, runs women-owned water enterprises using RO systems, restored ponds and rainwater harvesting. Indian SME Solinas deploys robotic crawlers fitted with AI to clean and examine water and sewer lines internally.
To recharge aquifers, balance water flows, and bolster water security, Peruvian NPO Aquafondo—operating within Climate Action—revives traditional water management setups like high-Andean wetlands, qochas, and amunas. French Polynesian NPO Coral Gardeners breeds heat-tough corals in underwater nurseries while combining this rehabilitation with 3D reef mapping, sensor networks, and artificial intelligence. Producing CleanRise®—a microbial biostimulant derived from methane—Indian SME String Bio integrates rice-paddy deployment with satellite tracking, gas monitoring, and carbon-credit sharing.
Global High Schools Leading Regional Change
The Global High Schools category highlights youth-led initiatives spanning six geographic regions. Finalists include Applied Technology Schools in the United Arab Emirates, Agrupamento de Escolas Gândara Mar in Portugal, A/Kagama Tract 09 Secondary School in Sri Lanka, and YK Pao School in China.
| Category | Finalist Focus | Finalist Financial Support | Winner Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | AI diagnostics & medical devices | US $100,000 | US $1 Million |
| Food | Regenerative agriculture & biotechnology | US $100,000 | US $1 Million |
| Energy | Decentralized access & alternative storage | US $100,000 | US $1 Million |
| Water | Circular treatment & conservation | US $100,000 | US $1 Million |
| Climate Action | Ecosystem restoration & carbon reduction | US $100,000 | US $1 Million |
| Global High Schools | Student-led community projects | US $25,000 | US $150,000 |
The Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, scheduled for 12 January 2027 amid Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, will serve as the venue for announcing the victors.
