The MDPI Sustainability Foundation proudly presents the World Sustainability Award and Emerging Sustainability Leader Award as part of the World Sustainability Forum. 

Purpose of the Awards
The core aim of these awards is to promote excellence across the breadth of sustainability science and its implementation. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional contributions that advance the understanding or transformative capacity of sustainability principles. This includes innovative theoretical, empirical, or applied research that addresses global challenges across ecological, societal, or economic dimensions. The awards aim to inspire further advancements in sustainability by recognizing achievements that embody academic rigor, societal relevance, and transformative impact.

Awards and Categories:

World Sustainability Award (WSA)
The World Sustainability Award (WSA) honors individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to sustainability research. Offered by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, the award recognizes scholarly excellence and transformative impact across disciplines.

The 2026 WSA will honor one individual researcher whose work has made a transformative academic or societal contribution to sustainability, whether broadly or in relation to a specific sustainability-relevant issue. The recipient will receive a monetary prize of 100,000 USD, which will be officially presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2026.

Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA)
The Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) recognizes outstanding early-career researchers who have made exceptional contributions to sustainability research. Offered by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, the award celebrates innovation, impact, and academic excellence across the sustainability spectrum.

The 2026 Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) will honor one outstanding early-career researcher, typically within 10 years of completing their PhD, who has made an exceptional academic or societal contribution to sustainability, whether broadly or in relation to a specific sustainability-relevant issue. The recipient will receive a monetary prize of 20,000 USD. The award will be officially presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2026.

Important Deadlines:
Award application opens: 25 July 2025;
Award application deadline: 15 December 2026;
Award winner announcement: 30 January 2026.

Award Ceremony and Presentation
The WSA and ESLA will be formally presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2026, an international platform bringing together leading voices in sustainability research and practice. The World Sustainability Forum 2026 is currently under planning, and official details will be announced in due course.

In addition to the prizes, awardees will receive travel and accommodation support to attend the Forum, where they will share their research with a global audience through keynote addresses and panel discussions. This provides recipients with high visibility and fosters interdisciplinary dialogue, reinforcing the awards’ mission to connect scholarly excellence with real-world sustainability solutions.

Application
Do not miss the opportunity to have your research and impact recognized on a global stage. Apply for the World Sustainability Award (WSA) or the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) today and join the community of scholars shaping the future of sustainability.