Awards & Prizes

Awards & Prizes

Awards & Prizes are listed in reverse chronological order.

Whitley Award 2027
Value: £50 000
Focus: Honour local conservation leaders.
Deadline: 30 October 2026
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National Integrity Awards
Organised by: Transparency International Kenya
Value: Public recognition
Focus: Award acts of integrity and recognise individuals and groups who make significant contributions towards realising Kenya’s shared Constitutional aspirations.
Deadline: 15 October 2026
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Santu Mofokeng Foundation Photography Prize
Organised by: Santu Mofokeng Foundation
Value: ZAR100 000
Focus: Recognising and supporting outstanding emerging photographers working in South Africa.
Deadline: 15 October 2026
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Wege Prize 2027
Organised by: Wege Center for Sustainable Design at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design with the support of The Wege Foundation
Value: US$65 000 in prizes
Focus: Challenges transdisciplinary teams of university students to develop real-world solutions to complex problems using the circular economy framework.
Deadline: 4 October 2026
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Global Prize for Innovation in Water
Organised by: Saudi Water Authority
Value: US$100 000 each for two Grand Prize award winners and $50 000 each for 12 Impact Medal award winners
Focus: Identify, reward and accelerate transformative, sustainable water technologies
Deadline: 30 September 2026
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14th Africa Gender Mainstreaming Awards
Value: Prestige, regional recognition and trophies
Focus: Celebrate organisations and individuals who embed gender mainstreaming into how business thinks, leads and operates.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
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Wellcome Prize for Mental Health Science
Organised by: Wellcome and Nature
Value: One winning team will receive US$1 million, and three finalists will each receive US$250 000 to accelerate adoption.
Focus: New interventions that can transform the lives of people affected by anxiety, depression and psychosis.
Deadline: 18 September 2026
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SDGs Design International Awards 2026
Value: Cash prizes and certificates for winning student teams, with top-tier awards including a Gold Award of KRW 3 million to bronze tiers and special e-certificates.
Focus: Youth innovation addressing sustainable development challenges.
Deadline: 15 September 2026
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Excellence in Journalism Awards
Organised by: Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development
Value: Award plaque and prizes
Focus: Journalists, fact-checkers and editors from Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and The Gambia whose work has promoted accountability, public interest, innovation, and impactful storytelling in West Africa.
Deadline: 12 September 2026
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Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2027
Organised by: Royal Academy of Engineering
Value: £50 000
Focus: Stimulate, celebrate and reward innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.
Deadline: 8 September 2026
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PAWEN Awards
Organised by: Pan African Women Empowerment Network (PAWEN)
Value: Public recognition
Focus: Celebrating and honouring visionary African women and diaspora leaders who are building the continent’s economic future through leadership, innovation and impact.
Deadline: 7 September 2026
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Global Media Awards 2026
Organised by: Save the Children
Value: Public recognition
Focus: Honours professional journalists from around the world whose storytelling has played a pivotal role in uncovering, highlighting and addressing critical child rights issues.
Deadline: 31 August 2026
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Refugee Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award 2026
Organised by: Cosmo Foundation
Value: UGX 10 million
Focus: Identify and support promising early-stage refugee entrepreneurs living in Uganda.
Deadline: 31 August 2026
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Pan-African Human Rights Photography Competition
Value: Monetary prizes and the twenty highest-scoring photographs will be professionally exhibited during the IHRDA Networking Reception in Dakar in October 2026.
Focus: Photographers from across Africa who capture stories of dignity, resilience, courage and hope that reveal how human rights are experienced in everyday life.
Deadline: 30 August 2026
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Botswana Youth Awards
Value: Cash prizes and trophies across 20 categories
Focus: Celebrate young Batswana aged 18-35 who are driving change, innovation and impact across the country.
Deadline: 24 August 2026
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iF Social Impact Prize
Value: Selected projects will receive a share of the €100 000 funding pool.
Focus: Recognise initiatives addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from poverty and education to climate action and gender equality, while highlighting the role of design in creating practical, sustainable solutions.
Deadline: 19 August 2026
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STREETS Global Awards
Value: Global recognition and exposure, expert mentorship and funding support
Focus: Recognises outstanding social enterprises and initiatives with notable social impact in the global hospitality and tourism sector
Deadline: 15 August 2026
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Milken-Motsepe Prize in Circular Economy
Value: US$2 million in total prizes, including a US$1 million grand prize
Focus: Scalable companies using technology to enhance circular economy practices across a variety of industries in Africa
Deadline: 13 August 2026
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Young Journalist Award 2026
Value: Three finalists will get an all-expenses-paid trip to London, including visits to top newsrooms.
Focus: Open to journalists under 30 who have exposed wrongdoing, challenged injustice, explained complex issues or given voice to people whose experiences are too often ignored.
Deadline: 9 August 2026
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Alkebulan Immigrants Impact Awards
Value: Visibility, professional networking and capacity-building opportunities
Focus: Celebrates the contributions and achievements of immigrants and refugees in South Africa
Deadline: 31 July 2026
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IGAD Media Awards 2026
Value: Recognition, publicity, fellowships and funding
Focus: Promote accurate, human-centred and evidence-based reporting that protects dignity, counters misinformation and highlights human mobility as a driver of integration, cooperation and shared prosperity in the IGAD region, with a specific focus on migration, forced displacement, labour mobility, free movement, decent work, protection and regional integration.
Deadline: 31 July 2026
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WESSA 100 Conservation Leadership Awards
Value: National recognition, prestigious physical awards and media promotion
Focus: Honours 100 conservation leaders who have shaped South Africa’s environmental progress over the past century
Deadline: 21 July 2026
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Tech for Good Impact Awards
Value: US$50 000 in free software and grants
Focus: NGOs supporting community building, crisis response or tech career opportunities
Deadline: 15 July 2026
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Women in Ag Awards
Value: International recognition and global networking opportunities
Focus: Honours the role of women in agriculture, agribusiness and agricultural sciences
Deadline: 10 July 2026
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Al-Sumait Prize for African Development
Value: US$1 million
Focus: Honours individuals or institutions who have, through their work or research, made significant advances in the fields of food security, health and education in Africa
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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Africa Sustainable Futures Awards
Value: International visibility, networking and prestige
Focus: Recognises innovative, private sector solutions to development challenges in Africa
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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Kenneth C Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity
Value: US$250 000
Focus: Recognises one organisation per year for its commitment to and progress toward more equitable, high-quality maternal health care.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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One World Sustainability Awards
Value: Presentation before UN Member States, CEOs, investors and policy-makers, and access to a network spanning 173 countries
Focus: Sustainable supply chains, innovative startups and women in industry
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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TWAS-Samira Omar Innovation for Sustainability Award
Value: US$4 000
Focus: Recognises the significant impact on the environment and biodiversity of scientists from least developed countries
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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World Around Young Climate Prize 2026
Value: Mentorship, training and a platform to amplify locally-grounded climate solutions
Focus: Champions and accelerates the next generation of climate leaders
Deadline: 30 June 2026
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GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize
Value: US$160 000 prize pool
Focus: Rewards Africa’s most innovative young food and agribusiness entrepreneurs
Deadline: 28 June 2026
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World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Prize for Education
Value: US$1 million prize pool
Focus: Supporting outstanding education innovations globally
Deadline: 27 June 2026
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Zayed Sustainability Prize 2027
Value: US$7.2 million
Focus: Recognises small to medium-sized enterprises, nonprofit organisations and global high schools with impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainable solutions.
Deadline: 22 June 2026
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Äänit Prize
Value: US$100 000
Focus: Initiatives that deliver positive social impact for Africa’s most marginalised populations
Deadline: 17 June 2026
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Global Development Awards Competition
Value: Not specified
Focus: Identifies talent and supports the career advancement of researchers in the Global South, and funds innovative social development projects implemented by NGOs that benefit marginalised groups in the developing world
Deadline: 17 June 2026
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Holberg Prize
Value: NOK 6 million
Focus: Outstanding contributions to research in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology
Deadline: 15 June 2026
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Pankaj Award to End Conflict
Value: US$250 000
Focus: Young leaders who are creating unity in a world of deepening conflict and division
Deadline: 15 June 2026
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UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation
Value: US$100 000
Focus: Recognises outstanding contributions to the protection and management of the environment worldwide
Deadline: 15 June 2026
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Global Citizen Waislitz Awards
Value: US$300 000
Focus: Recognises the excellence of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty
Deadline: 14 June 2026
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Active Citizens Awards
Value: Institutional recognition and visibility
Focus: Recognises changemakers who are using advocacy, technology, community organising, creativity, research and public service to drive positive social impact and strengthen democratic values in Nigeria
Deadline: 13 June 2026
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D-Prize
Value: Up to US$20 000
Focus: Entrepreneurs building evidence-based solutions to reduce poverty
Deadline: 7 June 2026
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Pierre Castel Prize
Value: €25 000 to national winners and up to €35 000 for the pan-African laureate
Focus: Support high-potential African entrepreneurs committed to the sustainable transformation of food systems
Deadline: 30 May 2026
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.ORG Global Impact Awards
Value: Up to USD$50 000, global visibility and networking opportunities
Focus: Organisations working for social good using a .ORG domain
Deadline: 27 May 2026
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10th Anniversary Global Challenge
Value: Various amounts
Focus: Covers various prizes in response to the question, “How can we address urgent global problems while building solutions that scale responsibly over the next decade?” These include the AI for Humanity Prize, E Ink Innovation Prize, Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize, Collegium Prize for Innovation, Philips Foundation Social Impact Award, Schmidt Marine Wavemaker’s Prize, and the Seeding the Future Prize for Climate-Positive and Equitable Food Systems
Deadline: 21 May 2026
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iF Social Impact Prize
Value: €100,000
Focus: Companies, design studios, NGOs, foundations, public and other organizations, social enterprises and entrepreneurs with projects that contribute to improving our society.
Deadline: 20 May 2026
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Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize
Value: US$10 000
Focus: Recognises exceptional leadership shown by a young activist in defending, renewing and promoting democracy
Deadline: 17 May 2026
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UN SDG Action Awards
Value: Paid travel to the UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony in Rome, Italy, global recognition and a customised trophy
Focus: Changemakers advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Deadline: 17 May 2026
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UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education 2026
Value: Two prizes of US$50,000
Focus: Honours outstanding and innovative contributions made by individuals, institutions, and organisations to advance girls’ and women’s education
Deadline: 12 May 2026
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The Elevate Prize
Value: Each winner receives US$300 000 in unrestricted funds – US$250 000 to their organisation and US$50 000 directly to the individual, recognising the often unseen personal costs of leading meaningful change
Focus: Recognises bold social impact leaders at a pivotal moment in their work, ready to expand their visibility and deepen their impact
Deadline: 8 May 2026
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Africa Digital Health Innovation Award
Value: US$10 000, trophies, certificates and continental recognition
Focus: Pioneers transforming healthcare through digital innovation, AI and community impact
Deadline: 6 May 2026
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Africa AI Safety Prize Competition 2026
Value: US$10,000 distributed among the top three submissions
Focus: Catalysing public good solutions in the field of African AI safety
Deadline: 3 May 2026
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Conrad N Hilton Humanitarian Prize 2026
Value: US$3 million
Focus: Honours a nonprofit leading efforts to alleviate human suffering
Deadline: 30 April 2026
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