Deadline: 25-Jun-2026
The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, known as the Shanghai Award, is a global recognition initiative led by UN-Habitat and China to honour cities making strong progress in sustainable urban development. The award recognises cities and municipalities that demonstrate inclusive, resilient, innovative, and people-centred urban development aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.
Award Overview
The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, also called the Shanghai Award, is an annual global recognition programme for cities and municipalities.
The award is jointly led by UN-Habitat and China. It recognises cities that demonstrate outstanding progress in advancing sustainable, inclusive, resilient, and people-centred urban development.
Launched in 2023, the award highlights city-level achievements that support global urban development priorities and inspire other cities through shared learning and best practices.
Overarching Theme
The overarching theme of the Shanghai Award is “Building a Sustainable Urban Future for All.”
Each award cycle focuses on priority areas connected to World Cities Day and major global urban development goals.
The award encourages cities to demonstrate how they are improving urban life, addressing local challenges, and contributing to global sustainability goals.
Focus Areas for the 3rd Cycle
The focus areas highlighted in the 3rd Cycle in 2025 include:
- Adequate housing for diverse needs
- Building people-centred smart cities together
- Green and resilient development responding to climate change
- Effective governance for vibrant cities
These priorities reflect the need for cities to address housing, digital transformation, climate resilience, governance, inclusion, and long-term urban sustainability.
Purpose of the Award
The purpose of the Shanghai Award is to recognise cities and municipalities that have made significant progress in sustainable urban development.
The award supports global efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.
It also provides a platform for cities to share successful strategies, strengthen international cooperation, and contribute to peer learning among urban leaders and development practitioners.
What the Award Recognises
The Shanghai Award recognises overall city progress rather than individual projects.
It looks at how a city has advanced sustainable development across multiple areas, including governance, inclusion, resilience, innovation, housing, climate action, and quality of urban life.
The award values long-term progress, context-sensitive solutions, and development pathways that respond to each city’s unique opportunities and challenges.
Evaluation Approach
The award evaluates cities within their own local contexts.
This means that cities are not judged only by size, wealth, or level of development. Instead, the evaluation considers the city’s specific resources, challenges, capacities, and progress over time.
The award uses a comprehensive and holistic assessment process to understand how cities are moving toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban futures.
Core Evaluation Criteria
Applications are assessed based on four core criteria.
The evaluation criteria include:
- Impact
- Innovation
- Sustainability
- Adaptability
These criteria help identify cities that are creating meaningful change, testing effective solutions, sustaining progress, and offering lessons that can be adapted by other cities.
Who Is Eligible?
The Shanghai Award is open to all cities and municipalities worldwide.
Eligibility includes:
- Cities of all sizes
- Municipalities from all regions
- Local governments working on sustainable urban development
- Cities making progress toward the 2030 Agenda
- Cities implementing principles of the New Urban Agenda
The award is open regardless of city size, geography, income level, or development stage.
How Applications Can Be Submitted
Applications may be submitted directly by local governments.
Cities may also be nominated through eligible partners.
Eligible submissions should clearly explain the city’s progress, strategies, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned in relation to sustainable urban development.
Award Selection Process
Each year, five winning cities are selected from different regions of the world.
The selection process includes expert review and independent jury assessment.
The process generally includes:
- Cities submit applications or are nominated by eligible partners.
- Technical experts review the submissions.
- An independent international jury assesses the applications.
- The jury includes geographically diverse urban development specialists.
- Recommendations are made for final selection.
- Five winning cities are selected from different world regions.
Benefits for Winning Cities
Winning cities receive global recognition and visibility through a prestigious international platform.
Award benefits include:
- International recognition for sustainable urban development
- Visibility through UN-Habitat platforms
- Opportunities to showcase best practices
- Participation in peer learning
- Knowledge exchange with other cities
- Access to global urban development networks
- Cooperation opportunities with international partners
- Opportunities to join high-level events such as the World Urban Forum
Knowledge Sharing and Publications
Award recipients are featured in major UN-Habitat knowledge products.
These may include:
- Shanghai Manual
- UN-Habitat flagship publications
- Best practice resources
- Global urban development knowledge products
- Capacity-building materials
This visibility helps winning cities share their experience with other cities, policymakers, urban planners, and development partners.
Why the Shanghai Award Matters
Cities are central to sustainable development because they shape housing, transport, services, climate resilience, economic opportunity, governance, and quality of life.
The Shanghai Award matters because it recognises cities that are taking practical steps to create inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban futures.
It also helps cities learn from each other by sharing models that can inspire policy improvements, urban innovation, and stronger local governance around the world.
How the Award Works
The Shanghai Award works as a global recognition and knowledge-sharing platform.
The process includes:
- Cities identify their achievements in sustainable urban development.
- Local governments submit applications or receive nominations from eligible partners.
- Submissions are assessed within each city’s local context.
- Technical experts review the evidence and progress presented.
- An independent international jury evaluates shortlisted submissions.
- Five winning cities are selected each year.
- Winning cities receive global visibility and recognition.
- Award recipients share best practices through UN-Habitat platforms, publications, events, and peer learning opportunities.
How to Apply
Cities and municipalities should prepare a strong application that clearly shows their overall progress toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development.
Application Preparation Steps
- Confirm eligibility
Ensure the applicant is a city or municipality eligible to participate in the global award. - Review the award theme
Align the submission with the overarching theme, “Building a Sustainable Urban Future for All.” - Address the cycle priorities
For the 3rd Cycle, cities should highlight progress related to adequate housing, people-centred smart cities, green and resilient development, and effective urban governance. - Describe the city context
Explain the city’s development challenges, resources, population needs, governance context, and local priorities. - Show overall progress
Present the city’s broader sustainable development journey rather than focusing only on one individual project. - Provide evidence of impact
Include clear examples of how policies, programmes, systems, or strategies have improved urban life. - Highlight innovation
Explain what is new, creative, effective, or locally relevant in the city’s approach. - Demonstrate sustainability
Show how the city’s progress can be maintained over time through governance, financing, partnerships, planning, or institutional systems. - Explain adaptability
Describe how the city’s experience may provide useful lessons for other cities. - Submit through the appropriate route
Applications may be submitted directly by local governments or through nominations from eligible partners.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Cities should avoid submitting applications that focus only on isolated projects without showing wider urban progress.
Common mistakes include:
- Describing one project without explaining city-wide impact
- Not linking the submission to sustainable urban development goals
- Providing weak evidence of progress
- Ignoring the city’s unique local context
- Not addressing impact, innovation, sustainability, and adaptability
- Failing to explain how the work supports inclusion and resilience
- Leaving out governance and long-term planning elements
- Not showing how lessons can be shared with other cities
- Submitting broad claims without clear examples or outcomes
Tips for a Strong Application
A strong application should be clear, evidence-based, and focused on city-wide progress.
Cities should:
- Explain the local urban development context clearly
- Show measurable or visible improvements
- Link achievements to the 2030 Agenda and New Urban Agenda
- Highlight inclusive approaches that benefit diverse communities
- Demonstrate climate resilience and sustainability
- Show how governance systems support long-term progress
- Include examples of innovation and adaptation
- Explain how the city’s practices can inspire other cities
- Present achievements in a structured and easy-to-review format
Key Terms Explained
Shanghai Award
The Shanghai Award is the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, a recognition programme led by UN-Habitat and China to honour cities advancing sustainable urban development.
Sustainable Urban Development
Sustainable urban development means planning and managing cities in ways that support people, the environment, the economy, infrastructure, resilience, and long-term quality of life.
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The 2030 Agenda is a global framework adopted by United Nations Member States to guide progress toward sustainable development through the Sustainable Development Goals.
New Urban Agenda
The New Urban Agenda is a global framework that guides sustainable urbanization and supports inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities.
People-Centred Smart Cities
People-centred smart cities use technology and data to improve urban services, governance, inclusion, participation, and quality of life while keeping residents’ needs at the centre.
Urban Resilience
Urban resilience is the ability of a city to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and adapt to shocks and stresses such as climate change, disasters, economic disruption, or social challenges.
Adaptability
Adaptability means that a city’s solutions, practices, or lessons can be adjusted and applied in other urban contexts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities?
The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, also known as the Shanghai Award, is a global recognition programme for cities and municipalities advancing sustainable urban development.
Who leads the Shanghai Award?
The award is jointly led by UN-Habitat and China.
What is the theme of the Shanghai Award?
The overarching theme is “Building a Sustainable Urban Future for All.”
When was the Shanghai Award launched?
The award was launched in 2023.
Who can apply?
All cities and municipalities worldwide can apply, regardless of size, region, or development stage.
How many cities are selected each year?
Each year, five winning cities are selected from different regions of the world.
What are the evaluation criteria?
Applications are evaluated based on impact, innovation, sustainability, and adaptability.
What does the 3rd Cycle focus on?
The 3rd Cycle in 2025 focuses on adequate housing for diverse needs, people-centred smart cities, green and resilient development responding to climate change, and effective governance for vibrant cities.
What do winning cities receive?
Winning cities receive global recognition, visibility, opportunities to showcase best practices, peer learning, knowledge exchange, and access to international urban development networks and events.
Are individual projects assessed?
No. The award assesses a city’s overall progress toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development rather than only individual projects.
Conclusion
The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, or Shanghai Award, recognises cities that are building inclusive, resilient, innovative, and sustainable urban futures. By honouring city-wide progress and sharing best practices through UN-Habitat platforms, the award helps strengthen global learning, inspire urban transformation, and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda.
For more information, visit Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities.
