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water

Eligibility Criteria

This category recognises organisations that can demonstrate innovative, impactful and inspirational sustainability solutions in the areas of water that include, but are not limited to:

  • Ensuring access to safe and affordable drinking water
  • Ensuring access to sanitation and hygiene
  • Increasing water use efficiency

Organisations must also demonstrate a clear vision and long-term plan to further deploy their solution and scale up their impact, as well as inspiring others to follow suit by advancing sustainable and human development.

prize fund

water
US$ 600,000

To be eligible for this category, organisations must be a SME or an NPO.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria is split into three parts, each with their percentages of influence on the initial assessments. They are:

Innovation 40%

Innovation refers to a novel solution or a transformation of an existing solution that solves a challenge or a need, generates value and brings significant positive impact.

A solution can be a technology, a service or a business model.

The innovation criterion requires organisations to demonstrate that their solution:

  • has a unique value proposition;
  • is disruptive or transformative;
  • is technically and commercially viable; and
  • is adopted by the market.

The Prize does not award early stage start-ups, demonstration projects, prototypes or solutions that have not demonstrated any impact on the ground.

impact 30%

Impact refers to a positive change that addresses social, economic, technological and/or environmental challenge(s) and has proven to make the world a better place by improving the well-being of humanity.

The impact criterion requires organisations to demonstrate that:

  • their solution already has had a positive impact on the quality of peoples' lives;
  • they are resilient to potential social, economic, technological, and environmental challenges;
  • they have good governance by employing skilled people and establishing fair policies;
  • they have a detailed plan of how the Prize money would be used to further increase their impact.

inspiration 30%

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, was a pioneering advocate of global sustainability and human development. Leading by example, he placed great value in the pursuit of socio-economic development that meets the needs of both current and future generations. Continued through the Prize, Sheikh Zayed’s legacy is a source of inspiration for the entire world.

The inspiration criterion requires organisations to demonstrate that their solution:

     reflect’s Sheikh Zayed’s core values – sustainability and human development that were central to his own approach and actions;

     can inspire and influence others to advance sustainable and human development; and

     can further inspire sustainable actions from the wider community by instigating behavioural changes.