As natural systems endure extraordinary strain, acknowledging the people who champion significant progress has become vital to preserving life across the planet.The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity showcases these contributions and broadens their influence around the globe.
The global community keeps working to halt and reverse biodiversity loss while also addressing interconnected pressures such as climate change, food security, and human well-being. Within this context, international recognition programs play a vital role by showcasing successful approaches, spreading knowledge, and inspiring action across different sectors and regions. A prominent illustration of this is the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity, an international award dedicated to honoring individuals whose contributions have delivered a concrete impact on conserving and sustainably managing the planet’s biological diversity.
The call for nominations for the 2026 edition of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is now open, inviting members of the public to put forward candidates whose contributions demonstrate leadership, innovation, and long-term impact. Nominations may be submitted between 2 February and 31 March 2026 through the official platform of the AEON Environmental Foundation. By opening the process to the public, the Prize reinforces its commitment to inclusivity and transparency, ensuring that impactful work from diverse regions and disciplines can be recognized on a global stage.
A prize designed to elevate biodiversity on the global agenda
The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity was established to highlight how essential biodiversity is for maintaining resilient ecosystems and supporting human life. Robust biodiversity sustains food production, helps regulate the climate, safeguards water supplies, and bolsters economic well-being and cultural heritage. Yet biodiversity loss has intensified in recent years, propelled by habitat degradation, pollution, unsustainable resource use, and the impacts of climate change.
Against this backdrop, the Prize serves not only as an award but also as a platform for awareness. By highlighting individual achievements, it draws public attention to practical solutions and reinforces the message that committed leadership can generate tangible environmental outcomes. The recognition offered by the Prize helps bridge the gap between scientific knowledge, policy development, and on-the-ground implementation, encouraging collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
Since it was first established, the Prize has celebrated individuals whose contributions extend across numerous domains, ranging from scientific inquiry and community-driven conservation to policy advocacy and environmental education. This breadth underscores the understanding that safeguarding biodiversity cannot be accomplished through isolated initiatives, but instead relies on coordinated efforts that blend science, governance, and active public involvement.
International collaboration at the heart of the initiative
The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is jointly presented by the AEON Environmental Foundation and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a partnership that brings together a philanthropic organization and a key authority in global environmental governance to ensure the Prize aligns with international biodiversity objectives while remaining firmly rooted in practical, real‑world results.
The Convention on Biological Diversity, created in 1992, stands as the primary global framework that directs biodiversity conservation, encourages sustainable use, and ensures fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources, and through its involvement, the CBD Secretariat positions the MIDORI Prize within broader international efforts, linking individual achievements to collective global goals.
The 2026 Award Ceremony and Award Winners Forum will be held on 27 August 2026 in Tokyo, Japan, gatherings anticipated to strengthen global momentum prior to the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP 17), scheduled to convene in Yerevan, Armenia. COP 17 will take place under the theme “Taking action for Nature,” emphasizing practical delivery and accountability at a crucial moment for worldwide biodiversity commitments.
Honoring remarkable accomplishments spanning a wide array of pursuits
One hallmark of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is its ability to honor outstanding achievements across a range of fields, and instead of centering on a single discipline, the Prize recognizes that meaningful advances in biodiversity conservation rely on complementary efforts that span scientific, social, and political spheres.
Historically, these award categories have covered practical execution, scientific inquiry, and both policy development and public education. Individuals honored for implementation are usually those who transform knowledge into real-world action, delivering conservation outcomes through on-the-ground projects, partnerships with local communities, or responsible resource stewardship. Recipients recognized for science and research deepen insight into ecosystems, species, and ecological processes, providing the evidence needed to guide informed decisions. At the same time, those acknowledged for policy and enlightenment play an essential role in crafting legislation, shaping governance, and elevating public understanding.
This holistic approach mirrors the complexity of biodiversity challenges and reinforces the idea that no single pathway is sufficient on its own. By celebrating achievements across these domains, the Prize encourages cross-sector dialogue and highlights the value of integrated strategies.
A decade shaped by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
The significance of the MIDORI Prize has steadily increased alongside the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), approved during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in 2022. This Framework serves as a worldwide roadmap designed to stop and reverse biodiversity decline by 2030, outlining 23 practical targets aimed at confronting the main causes of ecological degradation while advancing sustainable use and fair benefit-sharing.
Achieving the ambitions of the KMGBF requires a whole-of-society approach, engaging governments, the private sector, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and individuals alike. The MIDORI Prize actively reinforces this vision by honoring individuals who demonstrate leadership and creative thinking in pushing these objectives forward. By doing so, it turns the Framework’s targets into clear illustrations of advancement, making formerly abstract aims more concrete and easier to grasp.
As the 2030 deadline approaches, the importance of scaling up effective solutions becomes increasingly clear. Recognition initiatives such as the MIDORI Prize can accelerate this process by amplifying successful models and encouraging their replication in different contexts.
Forging a legacy with a profound impact across the globe
Since it was established during the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010, the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity has celebrated 21 individuals from 20 countries, underscoring the global nature of biodiversity challenges and the collective value of conservation. Covering tropical rainforests, coral reefs, urban landscapes, and agricultural lands, the work of past laureates illustrates that substantial advances can arise through a wide variety of strategies.
The legacy of the Prize extends beyond individual recognition. Award ceremonies and associated forums provide opportunities for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration, enabling winners to share experiences and learn from one another. These interactions help foster a global community of practice dedicated to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
Moreover, publicly recognizing an awardee can elevate their reputation and credibility, enabling them to secure funding, influence policy choices, and expand their initiatives. Through this recognition, the Prize becomes a potent catalyst that magnifies personal achievements and fosters broader systemic change.
Public participation and the nomination process
By inviting the public to submit nominations, the MIDORI Prize reinforces the idea that safeguarding biodiversity is a shared responsibility, allowing communities, organizations, and individuals to highlight initiatives that might remain overlooked, particularly in regions or disciplines where acknowledgment is scarce.
The nomination period for the 2026 Prize runs from 2 February to 31 March 2026, a timeframe in which submissions are assessed according to criteria that emphasize demonstrable outcomes, creative methods, and alignment with global biodiversity objectives. Through this evaluation approach, the Prize seeks to honor individuals whose contributions offer valuable perspectives and inspire others working in the same arena.
Public participation in the nomination process also plays an educational role, fostering broader understanding of biodiversity challenges and the individuals working to tackle them. As people explore prospective nominees and their efforts, they gain a clearer view of the practical initiatives that reinforce environmental sustainability.
Anticipating 2026 and the years ahead
As global attention turns toward COP 17 and the ongoing implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, initiatives like the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity play an increasingly important role. They help maintain momentum, celebrate progress, and remind the international community that individual leadership remains a powerful driver of change.
The 2026 Award Ceremony and Award Winners Forum in Tokyo are expected to provide a platform for reflection and dialogue at a pivotal moment for biodiversity governance. By bringing together awardees, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, these events will contribute to shared learning and reinforce the urgency of coordinated action.
Over the decade that will shape the planet’s biological diversity, acknowledging and empowering those who set the standard is not merely symbolic but a strategic commitment to the ideas, methods, and alliances essential for protecting nature today and in the years ahead. The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity serves as clear evidence of the influence dedicated individuals can exert when their contributions are recognized, elevated, and linked to global sustainability initiatives.
