St Andrews Prize for the Environment Entries Now Open

In a press issue released on Wednesday 20 March by the Communications Office, the University of St Andrews announced that it has launched its 26th annual Global Prize for the Environment.  

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a significant global initiative that identifies and champions innovative and inspiring responses to counter the climate crisis and environmental degradation.  Applications are now open for individuals and multi-disciplinary teams with the prize worth $100,000 USD for the winner and $25,000 USD for the runners-up. The closing date for entries is Friday 12 April, 2024.  

The Prize was established in 1998 by the University to reward and promote responsible, sustainable development. Since then, it has awarded more than $2.5 million USD in prize money, equating to 60 runners-up and 25 winners receiving a cash prize to further develop their project in the future, with more than 6,000 entries submitted from around the world. Originally awarded in conjunction with ConocoPhillips, the University assumed full responsibility for the Prize in 2020. 

Last year’s winner was Alianza Ceibo for their indigenous-led model of sustainable protection of the Upper Amazon Rainforest. Other areas of focus include environmental justice, urban regeneration, and waste management. Entries for the 2024 Prize will be assessed by a panel of judges with expertise in conservation, economics, and environmental science. 

This prize articulates the University’s overall sustainable strategy and ambitions across five distinct, but equally important, themes: World-leading, Diverse, Digital, Sustainable, and Entrepreneurial. The University has been focusing on its sustainability initiatives throughout the year. For instance, it recently secured £2 million in green hydrogen funding in January 2024 from the Wolfson Foundation to enable the development of green hydrogen technologies. These will play a key role in decarbonising the energy and chemical industries. It will provide dedicated space for world-leading research into the efficient production of hydrogen from water, and its use in energy storage and chemical production at the Eden Campus.  

Illustration by Bethany Morton