The Millennium Oceans Prize encourages activism, social entrepreneurship, and research to champion advocacy and leadership for the oceans, freshwater systems, sustainable fishing, and marine conservation. Initiatives in sustainable fisheries will receive special consideration. Applicants for the Prize are college or undergraduate university students, ages 18 to 30, anywhere in the world. The winning competitor will be offered up to US$5 thousand to implement his/her campaign and an invitation to the Millennium Campus Conference in Morocco, November 2017. The deadlines are 06 August 2017 and 17 September 2017. Link
awards/prizes
Both ENDS — Promoting Leadership of Young Environmentalists 2017
The Joke Waller-Hunter (JWH) Initiative offers grants to advance the leadership of young individuals working for or affiliated with environmental civil society organizations in developing and emerging countries. JWH especially encourages the nomination of young women and local community leaders. Grants range from €2,500 to €7,000 each. The next nomination deadline is 01 September 2017. Link
MIT Center for Collective Intelligence — New Contests at Climate CoLab
The MIT Climate CoLab organizes contests to solicit the world’s best ideas to prevent and adapt to climate change. Some contests pose social and political questions, while others focus on issues in science and technology. Each year, the contest winners are invited to a conference at MIT’s campus in the USA, where a pool of prize funding is shared among the best ideas. The Climate Co-Lab has recently posted seven new contests, each with a deadline on 10 September 2017. Link
COMESA — Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientific Awards for Women 2017
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is partnering with the African Union to offer the 2017 Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientific Awards for Women. The value of the award is US$20 thousand in each scientific sector: (i) life and earth sciences; and (ii) basic science, technology, and innovation. The application process is managed on a regional basis (Central Africa, Northern Africa, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa). There will be two award winners per region. The application deadline is 31 October 2017. Link
Nehru Foundation for Development — Earth Care Awards for South Asia 2018
The Earth Care Awards recognize efforts to promote resilience to climate change and reduction of greenhouse gases in the development of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The awards are co-sponsored by the Nehru Foundation for Development, the JSW Foundation, the TERRE Policy Centre, and The Times of India. The award categories are: community-based mitigation and adaptation in water resources, agriculture, forestry, and other land use; innovations for climate protection; mitigation of greenhouse gases in large enterprises; and leadership in urban climate action. The three winners in each category will each receive a citation and trophy. In the community and innovation categories, the awards also include a cash payment. The deadline for applications is 04 August 2017. Link
Unilever — Young Entrepreneurs Awards
The Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards invite nominations of individuals ages 18 to 35 anywhere in the world who have initiatives, products, or services that address sustainability challenges in four categories. The categories are “farm to table” (sustainable agriculture and food and drink nutrition); opportunities for women; waste management; and water management. The awards will be made to individuals who are putting their ideas into action, i.e., who are already having an impact. Unilever will recognise up to eight winners in 2017, each of whom will be awarded a cash prize in addition to one-to-one mentoring support for a year. The overall winner will receive the “HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize” of €50 thousand. The deadline for nominations is 30 June 2017. Link
National Geographic — Chasing Genius
The Chasing Genius Challenge invites ideas from around the world to make the planet more sustainable; to improve global health; and to feed nine billion people by mid-century. Each idea should be submitted as a one-minute video. The submitted ideas will be evaluated according to criteria of innovation, creativity, viability, and inspiration. The winner in each of the three categories will be awarded US$25 thousand, in addition to a fourth winner chosen on the basis of popular vote. The submission period is 01 June through 31 July 2017. Link
Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Climate Co-Lab
The Climate Co-Lab aims to gather and apply collective intelligence from around the world to address global climate change. The Co-Lab invites the best ideas to prevent and adapt to climate change. Some contests pose social and political questions, while others focus on issues in science and technology. The Climate Co-Lab posts new contests on a continuing basis. The contest winners each year compete for a prize of US$10 thousand. Link
Best Climate Practices — Ideas to Build Local Resilience to Climate Risks
The Best Climate Practices contest for 2017 focuses on building local resilience to climate disaster risk. The contest is open to individuals, teams, or organizations regardless of nationality, age, or qualifications. The contest winner will be awarded €3 thousand. The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2017. Link
UNESCO — Juan Bosch Prize for Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean
The United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) invites applications for the 2017 Juan Bosch Prize. The Prize aims to reward the best social science thesis of young researchers who are making significant research contributions to social development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Past awards have included thesis topics on policies for natural resources, among others. The amount of the prize is US$10 thousand. The closing date for nominations (English, Spanish) is 30 May 2017. Link