Zayed Sustainability Prize announces 2026 finalists

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.

- Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The winners will be revealed at the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony on 13 January 2026, held during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

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 - a 30% increase in submissions over last year.

Each winner in the Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action categories will receive $I million, while each of the six winning Global High Schools will receive up to $150,000.

THE HEALTH FINALISTS ARE:

Drop Access, an SME from Kenya, provides solar powered medical refrigeration via Vaccibox, enabling safe transport and storage of over 2.5 million vaccines, medicines, and blood bags, benefiting over one million people.

Healthy Learners, an NPO from Zambia, transforms schools into frontline health hubs by training teachers as health workers, enabling real-time disease detection and treatment for over I million children.

Jade Autism, an SME from the United Arab Emirates, develops Al and gamified cognitive tools to screen and support neurodiverse children, with adoption in over 450 institutions across 179 countries.

THE FOOD FINALISTS ARE: