The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity is a manifestation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s commitment to put sustainability at the heart of everything it does. Established in 2020, the Prize for Humanity not only reflects Calouste Gulbenkian’s legacy but is creating a legacy of its own, enabling people to make huge advances in tackling climate change. This is a Prize for Humanity, which puts people at the centre and celebrates human ingenuity in developing solutions to climate change. The Prize tells a story of possibility – showing us that there is still hope and we can build a better and more sustainable future.

The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity recognises individuals, organisations and groups leading society’s efforts to tackle the single biggest challenge facing humanity today: climate change. It recognises outstanding contributions to climate action and climate solutions that inspire hope and possibility. The Prize supports scalable solutions that will have real impact for communities and for advancing national and global climate goals.

The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity Jury and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation seek nominations that demonstrate:

• Evidence of transformative solutions and the potential for long-term change.
• Clear, scalable solutions with real impact and proven environmental and social benefits.
• Work that inspires and demonstrates active leadership.
• Ideas that meet today's needs and anticipate tomorrow's challenges.

Since the Prize was launched in 2020, the independent Jury – chaired by Angela Merkel – has recognised different approaches to tackling climate change, including youth mobilisation, coalition building, development of local solutions, scientific research, leadership in ecosystem restoration and sustainable agriculture.

Any individual, organisation or group of people and organisations making a significant contribution to tackling climate change is eligible for the Prize for Humanity. Nominations must come from a third party. Self-nominations will be excluded.

An independent Scientific Council evaluates all nominations to ensure they meet the selection criteria and prepare a consolidated list of candidates. The nominations are selected and reviewed by a Jury of internationally recognised experts in science, technology and politics. The President of the Jury is the former Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. The Jury creates a ranked shortlist of the top nominations and recommends a winner to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which makes the final decision, based on the proposal by the Jury.

The Prize for Humanity Jury selects nominations according to four criteria:

• Innovation: evidence of innovative solutions and potential for long-term transformational change;
• Impact: scalable impact with demonstrable benefits for the environment and society;
• Inspiration: work that inspires and shows active leadership;
• Relevance: ideas that meet the needs of today and anticipates the challenges of tomorrow.

In this 2025 edition of the Prize, the Jury is seeking a diverse range of applications from across the globe. Solutions can be localised, providing there is potential for global replicability.

Yes, as long the nominees have made convergent contributions to a specific achievement, either through formal collaboration (with nominees belonging to one or more groups) or parallel work. The short nomination form allows people to easily submit group nominations.

No.

No.

N0, self-nominations are not permitted and will be excluded. Applications should be submitted by third parties.

Yes, any organisation or individual may nominate more than one candidate for the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.

Yes, however the number of times a candidate is nominated is not a criterion taken into account in the Jury's selection.

Yes, the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity is of international scope. Nominations from all over the world are welcome.

No, that is not possible.

If the nominator is not part of the Board or part of the decision-making bodies, yes the nomination would be eligible.

Nominations are open until 31 January 2025, 5pm GMT.

All nominations should be submitted on an online form available on our website.

There are three categories of nomination forms: Individuals; Organisations; and Groups (individuals and/or organisations). The form is multiple choice, with six open text fields for nominators to describe why the nominee is worthy of winning the Prize.

Nominators can upload documents such as CVs, annual reports from organisations, brochures and links to websites to support the application. The Prize team may request further information in addition to the documents submitted in the application page.

The form must be submitted in English.

We encourage nominators to provide reference letters, CVs and/or documents about the individual, group or organisation when you complete your application. This helps the Jury learn more about the nomination and gather more insight that will help the selection process. Uploading these documents is optional but highly recommended. It is fundamental that the authors of the letter of recommendation provide their contact details - email and telephone - in case they need to be contacted by the Prize team.

Yes. However, please note that the six open text questions have been updated in this 2025 edition to simplify the process for nominators. Please also make sure that all contact details are up to date.

The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, granted yearly, is worth 1 million euros.

Yes. We welcome nominations of groups (of individuals and/or organisations), and occasionally the Jury will recommend merging nominations. In the event of more than one laureate being distinguished, the Prize will be split equally between them.

The Prize money is awarded to individuals, organisations or groups whose work has the potential to create real impact in tackling climate change.

It is not intended as a “lifetime achievement award” nor is it to be viewed as start-up funding. It is for work that has the capability to scale and to benefit communities at both the local and global levels. The money should be used to maximise the impact of the recipient’s work.

By accepting the Prize, the winner/s will sign a protocol with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation confirming the acceptance of the prize and agreeing on the allocation of funds, communication and activities related to the Prize.

The winner will be announced and broadcast via a ceremony at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon in July 2025.

Appeals cannot be made against the decision taken by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Board of Trustees.