The Zayed Future Energy Prize, the world’s preeminent award for innovation in renewable energy and sustainability, opened for submissions on Monday 4 March for the 2014 awards.
Entries are invited in the categories of large corporation, small and medium enterprise (SME), non-governmental organisation (NGO), the individual lifetime achievement and global high schools. The closing date for submissions is 5 August 2013.
All entrants will be able to submit or nominate for the prize on the Web site
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The Zayed Future Energy Prize is an annual US$4-million award, which recognises individuals, companies and organisations that have made significant contributions in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability. High Schools however are asked to submit a proposal for funding consideration.
“Based on the legacy of sustainability left to us by our founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Future Energy Prize is fast creating that much needed ripple effect around the world,” says Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, director general of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.
“From China to Mexico and from Germany to Tanzania; over the past five years, the prize has continued to award and reward the innovators of our time in the hope that the impact of the prize will enable the world to address our collective future energy challenges.”
Launched in 2008, the prize has gained global recognition and built a strong reputation as the most influential award in the renewable energy and sustainability community.
Submissions and nominations have increased 300% over the past five years as recognition of the value of the prize grows. The 2013 winners of the prize were selected after a careful evaluation of 579 submissions. The Africa-region winner in the high schools section was Kirya Secondary School in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.
The other winners included Siemens (Large Corporation), d.light design SME), Ceres (NGO) and Dr. Jose Goldemberg (Lifetime Achievement).
“The Zayed Future Energy Prize invites the global community to join forces and strengthen its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability. Our previous winners have collectively reduced the plight of 140 000 displaced persons, provided hundreds of thousands of jobs and provided clean water and electricity to over 8-million people in villages and rural parts of Africa and Asia.
“We encourage companies, individuals and schools from across the world to join us in solving the energy challenge and participate by submitting their applications before 5 August,” continues Dr Al Jaber.
The winners of the prize are chosen according to a stringent four-stage selection process, including a shortlisting by an independent research and analysis firm and evaluation by the review and selection committees.
In the fourth and final stage the jury, comprising heads of state, leading academics, energy experts and world-renowned personalities with an interest in sustainability, discuss and select the winners and runners up in each award category. Evaluations and eliminations are made using a scoring matrix based on the prize’s four main criteria: impact, long-term vision, leadership and innovation.
Winners will be announced on 20 January, 2014, at an award ceremony to be held in Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.