World Sustainability Award (prize of 50,000 USD)

 Deadline: 15th December 2025

The World Sustainability Award (WSA) honours individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to sustainability research. Offered by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, the award recognizes scholarly excellence and transformative impact across disciplines.

The 2026 WSA will honour three awardees, with one selected from each of the three core categories: Biosphere, Society, and Economy. The awards will be officially presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2026.

Benefits

• Each winner will receive a monetary prize of 50,000 USD, bringing the total award amount to 150,000.

Nomination Criteria

The World Sustainability Award is conferred upon senior researchers in recognition of exceptional and sustained contributions to sustainability-related scholarship and practice.

The Selection Committee will evaluate nominees according to the following criteria:

• Scientific Excellence: Nominnes should have a demonstrable record of sustained, high-quality research, either fundamental or applied, conducted within an appropriate disciplinary or interdisciplinary context.
• Contribution to Sustainability Pillars: The nominnes’ research must address at least two of the three foundational pillars of sustainability, with clearly evidenced impact:
  • Biosphere: Environmental and ecological systems
  • Society: Social and cultural dimensions of development
  • Economy: Economic structures, processes, or innovations
• Innovative and Applicable Outcomes: The research must exhibit originality and offer feasible solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges, with potential or demonstrated real-world implementation.
• Alignment with Global Agendas: The research should contribute meaningfully to the objectives outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Scholarly Leadership and Influence: There should be evidence of the nominee’s broader influence on the academic or professional community, including leadership roles, mentorship, institutional development, or contribution to policy frameworks.

Nominees & Selection

• Nominees must be senior researchers with a strong international track record in sustainability-related research.
• Submissions must come from third parties familiar with the nominee’s work and impact.
• The Selection Committee will include at least three members, with one representative from each of the three award categories: Biosphere, Society, and Economy.
• The final selection will be determined based on the strength and balance of the nominations received, with one awardee chosen from each of the three award categories. In the event that no suitable candidate is identified for a particular category, the award will not be conferred for that category in that year.

For more information and application.