About the UNEP Sasakawa Prize

For more than 20 years, the UNEP Sasakawa Prize has been a mark of excellence in the environmental field. The prize was awarded to 30 laureates between 1984 and 1993. In 2004, all the laureates were invited to Beijing, China, to celebrate the Prize’s 20th anniversary and discuss issues and strategies for a sustainable future.

On World Environment Day 2005, UNEP and The Nippon Foundation launched the new UNEP Sasakawa Prize to nurture environmental innovation, research, initiatives and ideas on an annually changing theme.

The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is awarded every year to individuals with an established track record of achievement and the potential to make outstanding contributions to the protection and management of the environment consistent with UNEP’s policies and objectives.

The publicity and prestige associated with winning the UNEP Sasakawa Prize is just one of its advantages. Recognizing that good ideas deserve a helping hand, the $200,000 cash prize offers the financial support laureates need to build on their achievements.

The UNEP Sasakawa Prize acts as an incentive for environmental efforts that are sustainable and replicable in the long-term. It recognizes innovation, groundbreaking research and ideas, and extraordinary grassroots initiatives from around the world.

Each candidate’s scope of activities will be associated with the environmental theme selected for the year as indicated on the nomination form. In 2010, the theme for which candidates will be eligible is ‘Green Solutions to Combat Climate Change’.