A 100,000 USD prize recognizing groundbreaking research in sustainability.
World Sustainability Award
The World Sustainability Award is presented by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation to individuals that have made significant contributions to scholarly research on sustainability. It is awarded annually at the World Sustainability Forum (WSF) and consists of a monetary prize of 100,000 USD, which is shared among the laureates.
The 2025 World Sustainability Award will be presented during the World Sustainability Forum 2025.
Attention! The nomination timeline has been updated and awardees will be personally notified by Monday, 30 June 2025.
Nomination Process
The nomination process for the 2025 World Sustainability Award will open on Friday, 10 January 2025 including details on how to nominate someone. The Selection Committee is then responsible for reviewing and selecting the winner(s) of the World Sustainability Award. Please note that if there is more than one winner, the total amount of 100,000 USD will be divided equally amongst the winners. The winner(s) will be informed in due course and will be required to attend the Award Ceremony which is held during the World Sustainability Forum.
What will the Selection Committee be looking for?
A unique, sustained and outstanding achievement based on strong pure or applied research in any appropriate discipline
Achievement that addresses at least 2 pillars of sustainability (*) and demonstrates measurable impact within those particular pillars
Novelty and feasibility of real-life applications of the research
Alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
* The 3 pillars of sustainability are as follows:
Social (Standard of Living, Education, Community, Equal Opportunity)
The nomination process for the 2025 World Sustainability Award will open on Friday, 10 January 2025, and close on Monday, 31 March 2025. Awardees will be personally notified by Sunday, 15 June 2025 Monday, 30 June 2025. The public award announcement will occur during the World Sustainability Forum 2025.
Dr. Shu-Kun Lin
Permanent Selection Committee Member
Founder and President of MDPI and founder and chairman of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation
Prof. Dr. Ed Constable
Permanent Selection Committee Member
Former Vice President for Research of the University of Basel
Non-Permanent Members:
A university professor from the Scientific Board of Sustainability
An unaligned university professor with expertise in sustainability
A representative of either an intergovernmental organization, a civil society or the business sector
Up to three non-permanent members of the selection committee may be appointed for each Award. Re-appointments are possible three years after having served on the Selection Committee.
The right to the World Sustainability Award is not transferable.
A recipient can receive the World Sustainability Award only once.
The recipient/s of the World Sustainability Award is/are required to participate in the award ceremony at the World Sustainability Forum.
The associated costs are covered by the organizers to an extent that will be communicated to the recipient.
