Two AI-powered Ventures Win 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize

Within the well being class, Jade, an SME from the UAE, was honoured for reimagining neurodevelopmental screening by AI and play. Its gamified platform, combining cognitive assessments, eye-tracking, and personalised studying, is now utilized in over 450 establishments throughout 179 nations. 

By decreasing diagnostic wait instances and enhancing engagement, Jade has already supported greater than 180,000 youngsters worldwide and is setting a brand new benchmark for inclusive early intervention.

Within the Meals class the award went to N & E Improvements of Singapore, recognised for its breakthrough biodegradable antimicrobial packaging and coatings that stretch meals shelf life whereas tackling waste at its supply. 

Created from upcycled meals waste and plant-based elements, the corporate’s patented expertise delivers 99.9% antimicrobial effectiveness, attaining bacterial counts 4.5 instances decrease than standard supplies. Meals-safe, compostable, and round by design, greater than 400,000 sustainable packs have already reached shoppers.

Within the Power class, Switzerland’s BASE Basis was recognised for remodeling how communities entry sustainable cooling. Its Cooling-as-a-Service mannequin eliminates upfront prices and makes low-carbon cooling each environment friendly and inexpensive. Working in 68 nations, BASE has created 2,500 jobs, whereas its mannequin saves 130 GWh of electrical energy and prevents 81,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per 12 months, demonstrating how market-based innovation can scale environmental affect.

The Water class recognised Stattus4, an SME from Brazil, whose AI- and IoT-enabled expertise helps utilities detect and repair leaks with unprecedented pace and precision. Monitoring greater than 5,000 kilometres of distribution networks and figuring out over 22,000 potential leak factors. 

Stattus4 saves round 5.56 billion litres of water every single day, strengthening water safety for over 4 million folks and remodeling the effectivity of city water techniques.

Within the Local weather Motion class, Construct up Nepal, a nonprofit organisation from Nepal, was celebrated for reinventing brickmaking as a software for local weather resilience and financial empowerment. 

Up to now, the organisation has produced over 3.3 million earthquake-resistant eco-bricks and supported the development of greater than 12,000 resilient houses, creating almost 2,000 inexperienced jobs, housing 58,000 folks, and avoiding 110,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions within the course of.

The Zayed Sustainability Prize continues to empower the subsequent technology of sustainability leaders by its International Excessive Colleges class, enabling youth to show native challenges into sensible options that profit their communities. 

Every year, six excessive colleges representing the world’s areas obtain as much as US $150,000 to implement revolutionary, student-led tasks that create significant social, financial, and environmental affect. Up to now, the Prize’s 56 earlier International Excessive Colleges winners have impacted the lives of over 56,599 college students and 480,660 folks throughout the globe.

The 2026 recipients of the International Excessive Colleges awards are Mamawi Atosketan Native College (Canada), representing The Americas; Kyanja Excessive College (Uganda), representing Sub-Saharan Africa; Al Rajaa College for the Deaf (Jordan), representing the Center East & North Africa; Bodrum Anatolian Excessive College (Türkiye), representing Europe & Central Asia; Faafu Atoll Training Middle (Maldives), representing South Asia; and Ruamrudee Worldwide College (Thailand), representing East Asia & Pacific.

Since its institution in 2008, the Prize has develop into a catalyst for affect, rewarding small and medium-sized enterprises, nonprofit organisations, and excessive colleges which can be addressing vital challenges throughout the six classes of Well being, Meals, Power, Water, Local weather Motion, and International Excessive Colleges. Via its 128 winners, the Prize has impacted over 411 million lives.

This cycle, a file 7,761 submissions had been acquired from 173 nations, reviewed by a rigorous, multi-stage analysis course of by technical consultants, the Choice Committee, and a distinguished Jury chaired by H.E. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland.