Dubai Business Desk | March 24, 2026
From AI-powered healthcare tools to leak-detecting water systems, the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2026 has once again spotlighted the world’s most impactful sustainability innovators — and the results are nothing short of extraordinary.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally honoured the winners during an awards ceremony held as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, attended by heads of state, ministers, and global leaders. Now in its 18th year, the Prize has collectively impacted over 411 million lives, with a record 7,761 submissions received from 173 countries this cycle.
The 2026 winners span five core categories. In Health, Canada’s Jade was recognised for its AI-powered, game-based platform enabling early detection of autism and ADHD, having already supported over 180,000 people across 450 schools. In Energy, Switzerland’s BASE Foundation won for its Cooling-as-a-Service model operating across 68 countries, saving 130 GWh of electricity and preventing 81,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually while creating 2,500 green jobs. Brazil’s Stattus4 took the Water prize for its AI and IoT leak-detection technology, saving an estimated 5.56 billion litres of water every day across more than 5,000 kilometres of distribution networks.
Youth-led innovation also took centre stage. Students from Mamawi Atosketan Native School in Canada won the Global High Schools – Americas category for a modular, climate-controlled hydroponic farm combining Indigenous knowledge with sustainability science to tackle food insecurity year-round.
Each organisational winner receives US$1 million, while Global High Schools winners receive up to US$150,000 to implement or expand their student-led projects.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize continues to prove that the most powerful solutions to the world’s greatest challenges are already being built — community by community, innovation by innovation.
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