The 2026 Earth Partner Prize is taking place in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Re:wild. Applicants can apply with any medium, including, but not limited to, photography projects, docu-style and experimental film, performance art, spoken word, musical compositions, dance, fashion design, new media, app development, and social media projects.

If you’re submitting a writing project (poetry, essay, zine), they recommend finding creative ways of displaying the writing in a visually appealing format.

ELIGIBILITY:

They invite artists of all nationalities, races, genders, and faiths, aged 14 to 30, to submit work that comments on the ecological crisis.

Application is absolutely free.

The Earth Partner Prize encourages applicants from all corners of the world to apply and endeavours to represent as diverse a range of work as possible.

The decision to set the age limit between 14 and 30 years of age was meant to specifically provide a platform for youth engagement, much like other student-focused competitions. This specific initiative was created to ask the question: how do younger generations feel about inheriting this world?

Of course, climate change is felt by everyone, irrespective of their age. They are aware that people of all generations have valuable insights and experiences to offer in this ongoing global conversation. As a platform operating in the creative industry, they are also aware of the struggles faced by artists and freelancers of all ages.

At Earth Partner, there are other ways to get involved. They host frequent Earth Partner Spotlights, an Instagram-based series that gives artists the opportunity to be featured on Art Partner. They also organise a monthly Microactions series. Please get in touch at earthpartner@artpartner.com to know more.

AI-assisted work is accepted, insofar as it’s used as an artistic tool and not a generative replacement. You must disclose any use of AI tools (even partial) in your project description and include a brief reflection on why these tools were necessary for your project.

On the platform, you will be asked to upload up to 10 images or videos. They recommend sending more than one image to give them a good idea of the breadth of your project. They also strongly recommend sending them the highest possible-quality images.

You will also be asked to provide a project description, a short bio, and to respond to the following question: Give them a written reflection on your experience as a young person in a time of ecological crisis. Tell them your hopes and fears, what you expect of policy-makers, what personal actions you take, and what is the role of your art in this time.

Video submissions: due to platform limitations, individual videos must be a maximum of 5 minutes. If you have a longer video, you can separate it into videos of five minutes each (keeping in mind that the platform accepts a maximum of 10 images and videos per project).

BENEFIT:

Eight finalists will be awarded cash prizes of $10, 000, $5,000 or $2,000. An additional 20 creatives will receive honourable mentions by a globally recognized panel of judges.