Zayed Sustainability Prize announces 30 finalists at the jury meeting

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE’s pioneer award for sustainable solutions and humanitarianism. A judging meeting was held to select the winners of the current 2022 cycle. The winners will be held during the 2022 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) It was announced at the awards ceremony this January.

A total of 30 finalists have been confirmed and are now competing for 10 awards in the five categories of health, food, energy, water, and global high schools. This year, the award received a staggering 4,000 applications. Compared with the previous cycle, the number of participants increased by 68.5%. At the same time, it attracted a record 151 countries/regions submissions, accounting for three-quarters of the world’s countries. above.

A jury made up of former heads of state, government ministers and international business people convened a virtual meeting to review the finalists selected by the award selection committee in August.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the UAE and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Award, emphasized in his speech how the award continues to serve as an enabler and accelerator of global impact, from life-saving healthy food security enhancement Solutions, from important renewable energy to clean water, added: “The Zayed Sustainability Award continues to promote the legacy and values ​​of the founding father of the UAE and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, especially It is his vision of humanitarian and sustainable progress around the world”.

The director-general of the award went on to say: “As the UAE celebrates this year’s Jubilee, the award is in full compliance with the’Fifty Principles’, which is the blueprint for progress announced by our wise leadership earlier this month to expand the country. The positive economic impact of the world. The award has improved the lives of millions of people around the world and will continue to expand to become a useful force to contribute to a more prosperous, fair and sustainable world, in line with the United Nations Sustainable development goals”. He added that the broad level of participation of knowledge-based economies and emerging markets reflects the current direction towards greater social inclusion, as the world is preparing for COP26 and accelerating the climate in the context of the continuous development of the post-pandemic recovery. Flexibility of action.

This year, the finalists have effectively solved and proposed solutions to a series of global challenges, usually comprehensive solutions that can benefit the community in multiple areas, such as the synergy of electricity and water. Most of the entries focus on the resilience of the ecosystem and the affordability of solutions, emphasizing clear examples of the economic benefits of sustainable innovation, and many of these solutions utilize next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Drive influence.

The chairman of the jury and former President of the Republic of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, added: “The innovation and diversity demonstrated in this year’s application includes the inspirational ideas of young people. The project proves the ability of the award to continue to participate. A global pioneer in sustainable development, while providing a platform and stepping stone for transformation and increasing human impact.”

HE Grimsson pointed out that with the emergence of COVID-19, the postponement of last year’s cycle is a necessary step to protect the award’s global participants, however, it enables the award to attract and capture forward-thinking organizations developed in response to a problem Inspirational concept. The most unprecedented crisis in the world.

The health finalists paid particular attention to enhancing remote and vulnerable communities’ access to affordable health care and easier and better ways to provide care, especially during a pandemic, such as telemedicine. The health entry also focuses on the development of a technology platform through automation and data and reporting enhancements and accuracy to protect communities from preventable diseases.

The finalists in the “health” category are:

• Mamotest (Argentina), an SME that uses teleradiology centers in underserved areas to develop innovative methods for medical imaging.
• Medic Mobile (United States of America), a non-profit organization that combines R&D and technical design to obtain primary healthcare data.
• Project Andiamo Ltd (UK) is an SME that automates the process of customized medical equipment by combining innovative 3D printing with advances in machine learning to ensure scalable and transportable solutions.

This year’s food finalists are particularly focused on supporting the circular economy through key initiatives such as reducing food waste and converting waste into energy, while also addressing climate change by promoting local inclusion and reducing pollution. More broadly, food security is also a top priority this year. The finalists emphasized ways to enhance agricultural technology and improve rural and farmers’ livelihoods through innovative solutions to sustainably strengthen supply chains, alleviate production challenges, and overcome logistics. obstacle.

The “Food” finalists are:

• Safi Organics (Kenya), a fertilizer production SME, is committed to solving the challenges faced by rural farmers who have to deal with expensive or inappropriate fertilizers that cause soil acidification and yield loss.
• S4S Technologies (India), an SME dedicated to empowering rural women and using new technologies to reduce food waste and increase farmers’ income.
• Tecnologías AgriBest, SA DE CV (Mexico), an SME that uses biotechnology to increase farmers’ crop yields and promote cost savings.

At the same time, competitors in the energy category demonstrated a range of diversified technological solutions to improve energy access and efficiency. This includes energy storage and solar home systems to solar-generated power grids and water solutions to meet the rapidly growing demand for electricity in communities from cities to rural areas.

The finalists in the “Energy” category are:

• ME SOLshare Ltd. (Bangladesh) is an SME that has created an interconnected microgrid for point-to-point energy exchange to achieve more efficient electricity distribution in rural communities.
• Planet Ark Power (Australia) is an SME that uses artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to reduce energy costs through the first fully two-way grid.
• Tongwei New Energy (China), a small and medium-sized enterprise that combines smart aquaculture and solar photovoltaics, strengthens food safety through innovative business models.

The water finalists showcased a series of value-added innovations that use modern technology to achieve “clean water for all” and reduce water-borne diseases and deaths in communities around the world.

The finalists in the “Water” category are:

• Boreal Light GmbH (Germany) is a design and manufacturer of small and medium enterprises that create affordable solar desalination systems for off-grid communities in Africa.
• OffGridBox, Inc (United States of America) is a small and medium-sized enterprise that uses microfiltration and ultraviolet sterilization technology to purify water and desalinate seawater through solar energy.
• Wateroam (Singapore) is an SME dedicated to responding to the global challenge of contaminated water through portable water filters and providing services to disaster-stricken and rural communities.

this Global high school finalists Showcasing project-based, student-led sustainability solutions, the finalists were divided into 6 regions. Regional finalists include:

America: Ecological Initiative (Venezuela), Iberian Institute (Dominican Republic) and Liceo Arturo Alessandri Palma (Chile).

Europe and Central Asia: JU Gimnazija “Biha” (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Liceo Europeo (Spain) and Romain-Rolland-Gymnasium (Germany).

Middle East and North Africa: Eastern Mediterranean International School (Israel), School for Gifted Students (Iraq) and Umm Al Arab (United Arab Emirates).

Sub-Saharan Africa: Papa Company Foundation School (Ghana), Lighthouse Elementary and Middle School (Mauritius), and Uganda Sharia Congress (Uganda).

South Asia: BlinkNow Foundation (Nepal), Hira School (Maldives) and Man Kuwari Hansa High School Barela (India).

East Asia and the Pacific: Bohe Wisdom School (Philippines), Asian International School, Karuizawa (UWC ISAK) (Japan), Shanghai World Foreign Language Institute (China).

In the health, food, energy, and water categories, each winner will receive $600,000. There are six winners in the global high school category, representing six regions of the world, and the prize money for each winner can be up to 100,000 US dollars. Since its launch in 2008, the US$3 million award has directly and indirectly changed the lives of more than 352 million people in 150 countries. Today, the award remains a catalyst for solving the world’s most pressing issues, as it continues to promote and bring long-term impact to communities around the world.