Two of the world’s most closely watched climate honours are expected to reveal their 2026 winners in the coming months: the UN’s top environmental prize, the Champions of the Earth award, and a $25 million open call offering $1 million each to youth-led climate groups.
FAKTA
- The UN Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth award — the UN’s highest environmental honour — is focused in 2026 on people and organisations protecting and restoring the ocean.
- UNEP accepted nominations from 5 March to 15 April 2026 in four categories: Policy Leadership, Inspiration and Action, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Science and Innovation.
- Winners are expected to be announced later in 2026; since 2005 the award has honoured 127 laureates.
- The ocean covers more than 70% of the planet, absorbs over 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gases, and sustains a blue economy worth more than $1.5 trillion — yet only 15% of coastlines remain ecologically intact, UNEP says.
- The Emerging Climate Champions Award is a $25 million global open call by the Enlight Foundation, The Patchwork Collective and Lever for Change, offering flexible $1 million multiyear gifts to youth-led organisations (ages 15–35).
- Applications closed on 22 September 2025; evaluation took place in January 2026, with winners expected later in the year.
Champions of the Earth turns to the ocean
This year’s Champions of the Earth award honours leaders whose work delivers solutions to restore marine and coastal ecosystems, reduce climate risks and create sustainable livelihoods. The focus reflects mounting pressure on the seas: pollution, habitat loss, sediment runoff and untreated wastewater are eroding marine ecosystems, driving biodiversity loss and threatening the communities that rely on the ocean.
The award brings global recognition and a platform to scale up solutions rather than a cash prize. Since its launch in 2005, it has celebrated 127 laureates whose work has shaped environmental policy and practice worldwide.
$1 million each for youth-led groups
The second award takes a different approach: money, directed where funding rarely reaches. The Emerging Climate Champions Award — a $25 million global open call sponsored by the Enlight Foundation and The Patchwork Collective and managed by Lever for Change — was launched on 26 June 2025 to provide flexible, multiyear gifts of $1 million each to youth-led organisations advancing climate solutions.
The context is stark: global annual funding for climate work is around $16 billion — less than 2% of total philanthropic giving — and support for youth-led climate initiatives amounts to just $14.2 million in annual grants, according to Lever for Change. The award targets organisations led by young people aged 15–35 that are community-led, at least two years old, and delivering measurable climate results.
What the winners will signal
Together, the two awards map where climate momentum is building: one celebrates proven ocean leadership on the world’s biggest stage, the other bets that the most durable solutions will come from young, community-rooted organisations that rarely see this scale of funding. Their 2026 winners will be announced in the autumn — just as COP31 gathers in Antalya to test whether recognition can turn into action.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Champions of the Earth award?
UNEP’s highest environmental honour, awarded since 2005. The 2026 edition focuses on ocean health, with nominations open from 5 March to 15 April 2026 across four categories.
How does the Emerging Climate Champions Award work?
It is a $25 million open call providing flexible $1 million multiyear gifts to youth-led organisations (leaders aged 15–35) advancing climate solutions around the world.
Read more climate stories at Watan News. Sources: UNEP’s Champions of the Earth announcement, Lever for Change’s Emerging Climate Champions announcement and fundsforNGOs.
