Deadline: 15th October 2023
Applications are now open for the UN Global Climate Action Prize 2023 . The UN Global Climate Action Awards are spearheaded by UN Climate Change to shine a light on the huge wave of activities underway around the world that are moving the world towards a highly resilient, low-carbon future.
The UN Global Climate Action Awards have approved innovative and transformative solutions that address both climate change and broader economic, social and environmental challenges. The projects that received the UN Global Climate Action Prize represent some of the most practical, scalable and replicable examples that people, companies, governments and industries are doing to combat climate change.
For 2023, the awards aim to highlight the innovative climate action that young people around the world are taking to ensure that their communities are more sustainable, resilient and equitable places to live. Two youth awards will be selected:
- A youth prize for the energy transition, and
- A youth award for climate action based on nature and the ecosystem.
Benefits
The Global Climate Action Prize seeks to support young people by raising awareness of their work, providing a platform to share their priorities and expertise and helping them to further develop their capabilities.
The winners, therefore:
- UN Climate Change Award certificate presented at a special awards event at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Travelling per diem to attend the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates.
- Opportunities to establish contacts and present work to political decision-makers during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
- Video produced about the initiative and distributed to the media.
- Dedicated page on the UN Climate Change website.
- Participation in relevant lectures throughout 2024.
- A one-year mentoring programme tailored to the needs of each winner.
The mentoring programme is designed to empower the selected winners to build on their existing achievements by providing a year of mentoring in priority areas specified by the winners. These may include developing further skills in advocacy, communications, technical solutions and/or access to finance, for example.
Eligibility
If you or a group of young people are under 35 and are implementing a project, initiative, programme or other activity that addresses climate change mitigation or adaptation with a focus on one of the two areas described below, you can apply!
- Youth prize on energy transition: The youth energy prize will recognise innovative work on energy transition and equity carried out by an individual young person or group of young people.
- Youth award on nature- and ecosystem-based climate action: This award will recognise nature- and ecosystem-based activities to address climate adaptation and/or mitigation as well as equity issues conducted by an individual young person or group of young people in indigenous and/or local communities.
Evaluation criteria
Applications will be analysed on the basis of the following criteria:
Youth Prize on Energy Transition:
- A project, initiative, programme or other activity (led or implemented by young people up to the age of 35);
- Demonstration of renewable energy and/or energy efficiency results;
- Locally led and/or community focussed;
- Use elements of education, training and/or public awareness to achieve goals;
- Address equity issues in the community; and
- Already implemented or in the process of being implemented.
Award for young people in climate action based on nature and ecosystems:
- Project, initiative, programme or other activity (led or implemented by young people up to the age of 35) in indigenous or local communities;
- Demonstrated activities aimed at increasing nature's resilience through mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions, namely through nature-based solutions and/or ecosystem-based approaches, while minimising negative impacts and promoting the positive impacts of climate action on biodiversity; E/UO
- Proven efforts to restore, maintain and enhance nature's contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services... through nature-based solutions and/or ecosystem-based approaches for the benefit of all people and nature;
- Incorporate elements of public awareness, public participation and/or public access to information to achieve its objectives;
- Address equity issues in the community; and
- Already implemented or in the process of being implemented.
Application
Applications must be completed online by midnight Central European Time on 15 October 2023.
