30 Finalists Vying For Zayed Sustainability Prizes
A total of 30 finalists were confirmed and are now vying for 10 awards, across the five categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Global High Schools. of the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
The prize is the UAE’s pioneering award for recognising sustainable solutions and humanitarianism and the winners will be announced during the Prize’s Awards Ceremony at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) in January.
H.E. Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, highlighted how the Prize continues to act as an enabler and accelerator for global impact.
From life-saving health solutions to food security enhancements, and from vital renewable energy to clean water, it continues to further the legacy and values of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
“As the UAE celebrates its Jubilee this year, the Prize aligns perfectly with the “Principles of the Fifty”, the blueprint for progress that our wise leadership announced earlier this month to expand the country’s positive economic impact globally.
“The Prize has already improved the lives of millions around the world and will continue to expand as a force for good that contributes to a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable world, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals”. He added that the extensive participation level from knowledge-based economies and emerging markets alike reflects the current direction towards greater social inclusivity as the world gears up for COP26 and expediated climate action resiliency in the evolving context of post-pandemic recovery.”
The ‘Health’ category finalists are:
• Mamotest (Argentina), an SME that has an innovative approach to medical imagery through the use of teleradiology centres in underserved areas.
• Medic Mobile (United States of America), an NPO that combines R&D and technical design to capture health data for primary healthcare.
• Project Andiamo Ltd (United Kingdom), an SME that ensures scalable and transportable solutions by combing innovative 3D printing with advances in machine learning to automate processes for custom medical devices.
The ‘Energy’ category finalists are:
• ME SOLshare Ltd (Bangladesh), an SME that created an interconnected microgrid for peer-to-peer energy exchange to enable a more efficient distribution of electricity across rural communities.
• Planet Ark Power (Australia), an SME that utilises AI and IoT through the first fully two-way electrical grid to reduce energy costs.
• Tongwei New Energy (China), an SME that integrates smart aquaculture and solar photovoltaics to enhance food security through an innovative business model.
On their part, Water category finalists presented a range of added value innovations that leverage modern technology to achieve ‘clean water for all’ and reduce waterborne diseases and deaths for communities around the world.
The ‘Water’ category finalists are:
• Boreal Light GmbH (Germany), a designer and manufacturer SME that creates affordable solar water desalination systems for off-grid communities in Africa.
• OffGridBox Inc (United States of America), an SME that deploys microfiltration and UV sterilisation for water purification and desalination through solar.
• Wateroam (Singapore), an SME committed to tackling the global challenge of contaminated water through portable water filters to serve disaster-hit and rural communities.
The Global High Schools’ finalists presented project-based, student-led sustainability solutions, with finalists divided into 6 regions. The regional finalists include:
The Americas: Iniciativas Ecológicas (Venezuela), Instituto Iberia (Dominican Republic), and Liceo Arturo Alessandri Palma (Chile).
Europe & Central Asia: JU Gimnazija “Bihać” (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Liceo Europeo (Spain), and Romain Rolland Gymnasium (Germany).
Middle East & North Africa: Eastern Mediterranean International School (Israel), Gifted Students School (Iraq), and Umm Al Arab (United Arab Emirates).
Sub-Saharan Africa: Daddies Firm Foundation School (Ghana), Lighthouse Primary and Secondary School (Mauritius), and Sharia Assembly of Uganda (Uganda).
South Asia: The BlinkNow Foundation (Nepal), Hira School (Maldives), and Man Kuwari Hansa Higher Secondary School Barela (India).
East Asia & Pacific: Bohol Wisdom School (The Philippines), UWC ISAK Japan (Japan), and Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy (China).