The awards also recognize effective climate resilience among the most vulnerable communities, sections of society and individuals who are at the frontlines of the greatest existential threat faced by humankind.

Award Categories

• Nature-Based Solutions: This category honors locally designed, community-led initiatives that use nature-based solutions to protect critical local infrastructure such as water, energy, and transport systems from climate change, especially those vital to everyday life.
• Women’s Livelihoods: This category recognizes community led initiatives that enhance women’s entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and resilience in the face of climate change.
• Citizen Science: This category celebrates community-driven research initiatives that are needs-based, solutions-oriented, and have measurable impact on climate-vulnerable populations.
• Health: This category recognizes local, community-based businesses that have developed or adopted adaptation solutions or technologies that address local climate related vulnerabilities and that are accessible locally to the people or groups most vulnerable to climate change.

Prize Information

• Four winners will receive a cash prize of €15,000 and be invited to an Award Ceremony at COP30 in Belém, which will take place from 10 to 21 November 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Awards are open to any organization or group of partners worldwide, who are in the process of implementing climate change adaptation/resilience solutions that follow one of the eight Principles of Locally Led Adaptation.
• They invite applications from:
  • Women-led groups
  • Non-governmental organizations (local, national, and international)
  • Universities
  • Research institutes
  • Think tanks
  • Governments
  • Entrepreneurship support organizations
  • Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with core business models focused on local climate adaptation initiatives
  • Women-led businesses
  • Tech and non-tech enterprises
  • Locally grown corporates or organizations promoting local climate adaptation along supply chains
• Only applications that meet all of the following criteria will be considered for the competition:
  • The intervention is being implemented and results are demonstrable.
  • The intervention addresses adaptation to climate change impact or builds resilience against climate impacts.
  • The intervention aims at the most vulnerable communities, sections of society, and individuals experiencing climate impacts.
  • The intervention adheres to one or more Principles of Locally Led Adaptation.

Selection Criteria

• Applications will be ranked according to a points based system that takes into account:
  • Innovation
  • Adherence to the Principles of Locally Led Adaptation
  • Community leadership in decision-making
  • Leadership by the most vulnerable sections of society, including women
  • Scalability and replicability
  • Devolution of decision-making on the use of funds
  • Collaboration and partnerships
  • Relevance of use of prize money

Application Requirements

• Please make sure to respond to all the questions and provide:
  • A written description of the intervention or solution in a story format.
  • A short, simple video: interviews, presentation of the intervention, footage of the solution (2 minutes maximum). They are not looking for high-quality, polished videos.
  • Photos, infographics or other visual material to support your story.

For more information, visit Global Center on Adaptation.