Deadline: 24 March 2020
The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity highlights the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s commitment to urgent climate action. Notably, it seeks to speed up the transition to a carbon neutral society, to mitigate the negative effects of climate change for people, the environment and the economy, and to promote a society that is more resilient and better prepared for future global changes and to protect the most vulnerable in particular.
The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, awarded annually, in the amount of 1 million euros, aims to recognise people, groups of people and/or organisations from all over the world whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for its novelty, innovation and impact.
This initiative strives to draw attention to and leverage large-scale climate action responses, helping to speed up the process of decarbonizing the global economy, protecting the people and natural systems from the severe effects associated to climate change and supporting sustainable development.
The award ceremony will take place on July 20th, 2020 – Calouste Gulbenkian day – in the Foundation’s Grand Auditorium.
Objectives
More specifically, the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity has the following objectives:
- Award to actively contribute to the targets set in the Paris Agreement with the aim of keeping global warming below 1.5 ºC.
- To recognize people, organizations and initiatives of excellence in the area of climate change.
- To mobilize talent, attracting high quality nominations.
- To emphasize of both the impacts of climate change and potential solutions, mobilizing people, businesses and governments in tackling the climate crisis.
- To strengthen the role of local communities and international networks, by recognizing local climate solutions with great scale up potential for global impact.
- To educate and empower for a more sustainable society.
- To mobilize more financial capital for climate solutions.
- To divulge, at a global level, the Foundation’s commitment to a low-carbon, more sustainable and more resilient society.
Areas of Recognition
The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity will be focused on the recognition of accomplishments and contributions to solve the climate crisis. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation considers any potential recognition areas that can contribute to mitigate and/or adapt to the impacts of climate change.
In the present context, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation considers any potential recognition areas that can contribute to one or a number of the following outcomes:
- Mitigation: reduction or prevention of greenhouse gas emissions or the increased absorption of already emitted GHG. The mitigation actions require the use of new technologies, clean energy sources, industrial processing, reducing deforestation, reforestation or restoring terrestrial, marine and coastal natural ecosystems, improved methods of sustainable farming and land use, and changes in individual and collective behaviors.
- Adaptation: improve management of risks and negative impacts of climate change with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of people, ecosystems and biodiversity to the detrimental effects of climate change – rising sea levels, extreme weather events and food insecurity – and increasing their resilience to these, such as nature-based solutions.
Prize Information
- The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, granted yearly, is worth 1 million euros.
- In the event of more than one laureate being distinguished, the award will be equitably divided.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates may be a person, group of people and/or an organization, of any nationality, that is making a significant contribution to develop solutions to tackle the climate crisis, having to demonstrate the reach or potential reach of outstanding outcomes and provide tangible, highly relevant and material impact indicators.
- Eligible organizations include:
- Legal entities, public or private, profit-seeking or non-profit;
- International organizations;
- Universities and R&D institutions.
- The Award cannot be granted posthumously or to an organization after ceasing its activity.
Applications may be submitted through the nomination of third parties; self-nominations are not permitted.
For more information, visit https://gulbenkian.pt/en/the-foundation/gulbenkian-prize-for-humanity/