UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development
The UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for sustainable development, funded by the Government of Japan, consists of three annual awards of USD 50,000 for each recipient. It was awarded for the first time by the Director-General of UNESCO in November 2015.
The Prize and award winners recognize the role of education in connecting the social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It was established by the Executive Board of UNESCO at its 195th session within the framework of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD and officially announced at the UNESCO World Conference on ESD (10-12 November 2014, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan).
The 2025 call for applications is open until 18 April 2025 (UTC+1, Paris time)
Nomination process
- Who can be nominated?
Institutions, organizations or other entities engaged in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Nominations must focus on a specific ESD project or programme of the nominee, meeting the eligibility criteria.
- Who can submit nominations?
Nominations can be submitted to the Director-General of UNESCO by Governments of Member States via their Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or foundations in official partnership with UNESCO. Each Permanent Delegation, NGO or foundation can make up to three nominations for any edition of the Prize. Self-nominations are not accepted.
- How to submit nominations?
The nomination form must be completed online in English or French via a dedicated platform (for nominating entities only - the fields of the nomination form are described in the explanatory note).
User guide for Member States: English - French
User guide for NGOs and foundations: English - French
Nominations must be completed online by the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO of the concerned Member State, or by an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO.
It is possible for National Commissions to UNESCO to access and complete the online form. However, any nomination by a National Commission will need to be submitted by the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO of the respective Member State. An automatic notification message will be sent to the official e-mail address of the Delegation to this end.
If a National Commission or Permanent Delegation to UNESCO wishes that the form be completed electronically by the nominees, UNESCO can provide the nominees an access to the platform. A request should be made via the registration form. After completion of the online form by the nominee, the concerned National Commission and Permanent Delegation will receive a notification e-mail and can review the nomination before the Permanent Delegation submits to UNESCO.
Attention should be paid to presenting the project/programme of the nominee in a clear and structured way, following the instructions given in the form.
All supporting material (e.g. publications, photos, videos) must be transmitted electronically through the online system.
While completing the form, please also keep in mind that the project/programme will be assessed by the Jury on the basis of the selection criteria.
Submit the online nomination form
Nominations have to be submitted in the online system by the concerned Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, the NGO or the foundation by midnight of 18 April 2025 (UTC+1, Paris time).
Kindly note that each Permanent Delegation, NGO or foundation may not submit more than three nominations.
IAU members interested to apply/be nominated through IAU are invited to contact IAU (contact@iau-hesd.net) ahead of the deadline: 18 April 2025 (UTC+1, Paris time). More information about the prize can be found here.