Laureates by Category

Joan Carling has been defending land and environmental rights of indigenous peoples for more than 20 years. She actively participated in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and REDD+, twice served as Secretary-General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and was Chairperson of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. She was appointed by…

UN Environment Programme has recognized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his bold environmental leadership on the global stage. Under Modi’s leadership, India pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics in the country by 2022. Prime Minister Modi also supports and champions the International Solar Alliance, a global…

Zhejiang province derives its name from the Zhe River, meaning “crooked” or “bent” river. The rivers of Zhejiang Province have long been vital for communities, flowing through ancient towns, among traditional white-walled and black-roofed houses, feeding fertile rice fields. Yet Zhejiang is also one of the richest and most developed provinces…

Jeff Orlowski won in the Inspiration and Action Category for his work on spreading powerful environmental messages to a global audience. Orlowski is the founder of Exposure Labs, which uses the power of storytelling to create impact. In 2012, he directed the climate-focused documentary, Chasing Ice, which has been screened in over 172…

Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile, was recognized in the Policy Leadership category for her outstanding leadership in creating marine protected areas and boosting renewable energy.

“Chile has shown the world that you don’t need to be a rich country to preserve the environment.,” said President Bachelet. “I feel honored…

Mobike won in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for exploring market-driven solutions to air pollution and climate change.

Mobike is the world’s largest smart bike-sharing company. After two years of operation, the platform claims over 100 million registered users across more than 100 cities globally, servicing over 20 million…

Dr Paul A. Newman & NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center won in the Science and Innovation category, for outstanding contributions to the Montreal Protocol – which has phased out 99 per cent of ozone-depleting substances and led to the healing of the ozone layer.

“Ozone is our unseen natural sunscreen,” said Dr. Newman, Chief Scientist…

Saihanba Afforestation Community won in the Inspiration and Action category for transforming degraded land into a lush paradise.

Saihanba, which covers 92,000 hectares and borders the southern edge of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, had by the 1950s become barren due to excessive logging, allowing sand to blow into…

Wang Wenbiao, Chairman of Elion Resources Group, won a Lifetime Achievement award for a lifetime of leadership in green industry.

Better known in China as the “Son of the Desert”, Wang, 61, is the chairman of China’s largest private green industries enterprise, Elion Resources Group, with total assets of over USD 1.6 billion.…

Afroz Shah, a young Indian lawyer from Mumbai, is synonymous with the world’s largest beach clean-up project.

In October 2015, Shah and his neighbor Harbansh Mathur, an 84-year-old who has since passed away, were frustrated with the piles of decomposing waste that had washed up and completely overwhelmed the city’s Versova beach.…