The United Nations (UN) called for nominees for its Champions of the Earth award – the world body’s highest honour for individuals and organizations that are safeguarding our environment and transforming societies.

Every year, individuals, groups and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the protection and restoration of the environment are recognized in four categories:

• Policy leadership
• Inspiration and action
• Entrepreneurial vision
• Science and innovation

The criteria for selection are:

• Impact - Have the nominee’s actions resulted in profound environmental gains or demonstrated significant potential for replication and scaling?

• Novelty - Has the nominee done or achieved something new and innovative?

• Power of the story - How compelling and inspiring is the nominee’s story?

Timeline:

28 January 2021 - The 2021 nominations opened.

February 2021 - Deadline for submissions. All nominations must be received by 12 February 2021, accompanied by appropriate supporting materials.

March 2021 - UNEP review. Winners are shortlisted, and a team of UNEP staff reviews the list of nominees and prepares a shortlist to be submitted before a global jury.

April 2021 - Award laureates are chosen. A global jury consisting of high-profile individuals from different United Nations agencies and international organizations reviews the shortlist of nominations and selects their winning choice in each award category. Their decision is final.

May 2021 - Laureates are announced. Winners are announced globally, recognizing their considerable achievement.

Announcement date subjected to change.

Nominations are open to everyone and nominees can be individuals, government entities, companies and other organizations. The deadline for nominations is February 12, 2021.