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 three awardees, with one selected from each of the three core categories: Biosphere, Society, and Economy. The awards will be officially presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2026.

ELIGIBILITY:

The World Sustainability Award is conferred upon senior researchers in recognition of exceptional and sustained contributions to sustainability-related scholarship and practice.

The Selection Committee will evaluate nominees according to the following criteria:

Scientific Excellence: Nominees should have a demonstrable record of sustained, high-quality research, either fundamental or applied, conducted within an appropriate disciplinary or interdisciplinary context.

Contribution to Sustainability Pillars: The nominees’ research must address at least two of the three foundational pillars of sustainability, with clearly evidenced impact:

Biosphere: Environmental and ecological systems

Society: Social and cultural dimensions of development

Economy: Economic structures, processes, or innovations

Innovative and Applicable Outcomes: The research must exhibit originality and offer feasible solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges, with potential or demonstrated real-world implementation.

Alignment with Global Agendas: The research should contribute meaningfully to the objectives outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Scholarly Leadership and Influence: There should be evidence of the nominee’s broader influence on the academic or professional community, including leadership roles, mentorship, institutional development, or contribution to policy frameworks.

The nomination process for the 2026 edition will open on Friday, 25 July 2025. Detailed information on eligibility and submission procedures is provided in the dedicated section below. Nominations must be submitted by a qualified third party via the official online platform. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

Following the nomination deadline, the Selection Committee, composed of internationally recognized experts in sustainability, will review all eligible submissions and select the award recipients.

The selected winners will be informed in due course and are expected to attend the award ceremony, which will be held during the World Sustainability Forum 2026.

BENEFIT:

Each winner will receive a monetary prize of 50,000 USD, bringing the total award amount to 150,000.