Jury members of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the world’s pre-eminent award for innovation in renewable energy and sustainability, have selected the 2013 winners. 

 

The Jury reached the decision on the five prize categories following a closed-door evaluation of the 24 shortlisted submissions. The selection marks the culmination of multi-phased judging process.  

 

The winners will be announced on January 15 at the Emirates Palace during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, said a statement.

 

The Zayed Future Energy Prize is a $4million prize for individuals and organisations working to find solutions to tackle the global challenges of energy, water and sustainability. This year, the Prize drew a record 579 entries from 88 countries. 

 

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, director general of the Zayed Future Energy Prize and chief executive officer of Masdar said: “The work conducted today by our esteemed jury members will help us award the next group of visionaries; it will help us encourage the innovators who will nurture this nascent and critical industry, but most importantly, it will help us truly bring the vision and mission of our late founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to reality.” 

 

“The UAE and Abu Dhabi have a long legacy in launching initiatives that reflect positively on humanity and the whole world. When our wise leadership launched the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the goal was to carry on this legacy instilled in us by our late founding father,” added Dr Al Jaber. 

 

The Zayed Future Energy Prize honours winners in five categories: Large Corporation, Non-Governmental Organisation, Small and Medium Enterprise, Lifetime Achievement, and for the first time, the Global High Schools Prize. The nominees are assessed on innovation, impact, leadership and long-term vision. 

 

The Prize jury comprises influential leaders, voices and activists committed to the global effort of accelerating the adoption of renewable energy and sustainability.

 

Chaired by Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, the 2013 judging panel also includes Mohamed Nasheed, former President of Maldives; Dr Han Seung-soo, former Prime Minister of Korea; Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, Minister of Energy for South Africa; Adnan Z Amin, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, chairman of Masdar; Dr Susan Hockfield, president, emeritus and professor of neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar-nominated actor and environmental activist.

 

Commenting on the day’s deliberations, Grímsson, chairman of the Jury, said: “The Zayed Future Energy Prize is different from other prizes in the world because its mission is to change the world… and to make it safer not only for us, but for future generations. The Zayed Future Energy Prize shows us that change is possible. But what is even more heartening is that this was a truly global decision made by a truly global panel.”

 

Of the newly launched Global High Schools Prize, Grimsson added: “This category is very special – it recognizes young people, their ideas, aspirations, their pathways and their projects.” – TradeArabia News Service