The Zayed Sustainability Prize recently made its final cuts to determine the finalists for the 2027 edition. I used to cover the prize very closely and thoroughly, back when it was called the Zayed Future Energy Prize. I think the name was changed in large part because they wanted to expand the prize into more categories, but perhaps also because clean energy now dominates the energy market, it’s not simple “future” energy. Anyway, though, the prize does now cover a broader range of topics. It is also now receiving more and more submissions, with the 2026–2027 total reaching a record 10,233 submissions from 177 countries.

“From AI that can predict pregnancy complications months in advance and robots that navigate water networks, to new technologies restoring degraded soil and heat-resilient corals rebuilding reefs, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has unveiled its 2027 finalists following the most competitive cycle in its history,” the organization wrote announcing the finalists.

The 10,233 submissions were a 32% increase over the previous year’s submissions. The categories now included in the competition are: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. The finalists, as well as the winners, now get financial support. Here’s a bit more info on that: “For the 2027 cycle, every finalist is guaranteed financial support, extending the Prize’s backing beyond the eventual winners and helping more high-impact solutions advance and scale.

“Organisational finalists across Health, Food, Energy, Water and Climate Action will receive US $100,000 each , while Global High Schools finalists will receive US $25,000 each .

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