The St Andrews Prize for the Environment (USD 100,000 Prize)

admin April 4, 2023

2 minutes read

DEADLINE: 12 April 2023

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a major international initiative led by the University of St Andrews that recognises and supports innovative and inspirational responses to environmental challenges, including the climate crisis. It is overseen by the Master of the United College, Professor Ineke De Moortel FRAS FRSE.

Since 1998, the Prize has awarded more than $2 million in prize money across the world to individuals and organisations whose imaginative solutions are protecting the environment and promoting a more sustainable society.

Now in its 25th year, the Prize aims to champion the people and ideas addressing the greatest challenge of our age.

Eligibility and selection

The St Andrews Prize welcomes applications from individuals and organisations (including community groups) who lead projects that protect the environment and/or contribute to its sustainable development.

As a core aim of the Prize is to bring about substantial progress in solving environmental problems, we seek applications from projects where winning would lead to a step-change in the development and implementation of the idea.

As a general rule, the University is unlikely to be able to make payments to countries under international sanctions, therefore we encourage projects based in such locations to consider carefully if this may impact them before applying.

Eligible projects

For a project to be eligible it must:

An established project with a proven track record of success
Be related to sustainable development and/or biodiversity, and be aligned with the UN Goals for Sustainable Development
Be replicable from one geographic area to another and ideally be scalable in size
Have a clearly defined need for funding
Have the ability to inspire others in the field
Contribute to the global pursuit of sustainability in the short- to long-term
Meet high ethical standards in respect of intellectual property, and in how it interacts with people, and with the environment
Must be inclusive

Ineligible projects

Projects at the idea, pilot or prototype stage
Research projects
Projects with no environmental benefit
Major infrastructure projects e.g. construction of a building
Projects focused on special interest groups or that are exclusive of particular groups in society
Regular or annual events that are not connected to a new initiative
Projects related to political activities, lobbying or religious groups
Projects that are designed purely for fundraising purposes

Selection

Entries will be reviewed by the Screening Committee, who will draw up a shortlist for the Trustees’ consideration. Applicants who progress to the shortlisting stage will be contacted and invited to submit a short video summarising their project. They will also be asked to provide contact details of two independent referees who can be contacted during the due diligence process.

Three projects will be selected to participate in the St Andrews Prize for the Environment final, which will take place at the University of St Andrews from Monday 20 to Tuesday 21 November 2023. Finalists must be available to travel to St Andrews from Sunday 19 to Wednesday 22 November 2023 to participate in the proceedings in person, unless national regulations at the time preclude travel or gathering.