UNEPAward

UNEP Champions of the Earth Award

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Award

Funding

No Funding

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

The UN’s highest environmental honor, recognizing outstanding leaders, organizations, and governments for transformative impact in sustainability and climate action. Winners are celebrated globally for their contributions to advancing environmental protection and innovation.

Benefits include:

Global recognition and visibility through UNEP platforms
Media coverage and international spotlight
Networking with policymakers, scientists, and activists
Influence in shaping global environmental discours

Who can apply

Open to individuals, organizations, and governments worldwide
Demonstrated impact in one of four categories:
Policy Leadership
Entrepreneurial Vision
Science & Innovation
Inspiration & Action
Nomination submitted through UNEP’s online portal
Final selection made by UNEP Executive Director
Running a project or organization
Volunteer
Entrepreneur

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreFair

Cross-checked 3 of 4 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+The UN's highest environmental honour, run annually since 2005, with 127 laureates including 28 world leaders
+Nominations are genuinely open to anyone, not invitation-only, with over 2,500 submissions in past cycles
+UNEP publishes its judging criteria plainly across four categories, so a nominator can judge fit before writing
+Young changemakers do win it. The 2025 cohort included a youth-led NGO

Worth checking yourself

!THIS ROUND IS CLOSED. Applications are not currently open and no new date has been published by the organisation. Do not plan around this listing until it is confirmed reopened.
!Not scored. The score is 0 because this record is flagged for retirement while the call is closed, not because the award is weak. On an open cycle it would score in the high 80s
!Nominations only. No self-application route is described anywhere, and the 2026 window was six weeks long
!No prize money. UNEP describes an honour, and nothing on any page mentions a cash award
!The theme narrows every year, so guidance from one cycle does not carry to the next
!It recognises transformative track records rather than early-stage work, which puts it out of reach for most of LOT's readership as applicants, though not as nominators

What we could not confirm

?Deadline

Sources checked

UNunep.orgApplyUNunep.orgApply

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.

About this opportunity

Benefits include:

Global recognition and visibility through UNEP platforms
Media coverage and international spotlight
Networking with policymakers, scientists, and activists
Influence in shaping global environmental discours

Who can apply

Open to individuals, organizations, and governments worldwide
Demonstrated impact in one of four categories:
Policy Leadership
Entrepreneurial Vision
Science & Innovation
Inspiration & Action
Nomination submitted through UNEP’s online portal
Final selection made by UNEP Executive Director
Running a project or organization
Volunteer
Entrepreneur