The Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE’s award for innovative global solutions, has announced its 2026 cohort of winners and finalists.
Among a record 7,761 submissions from 173 countries, Kikani Vidhya Mandir (CBSE School), a private institution from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, has been named a finalist for the Global High School Award for the South Asia Region.
Serving over 1,200 students, the school is being recognised for its “Algae-IoT Carbon Capture Initiative,” an environmental engineering project that uses an AI-powered mechanical tree system with algae and IoT sensors to sequester $CO_{2}$ more efficiently than terrestrial plants. The school plans to deploy 100 of these units across urban sites and other schools.
The winners were announced during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) in a ceremony attended by Heads of State, Ministers, and business leaders.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the UAE, awarded the winners for their contributions to sustainable development. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, praised the winners for implementing scalable innovations with social and environmental impact.
Geetha Raj, Principal of Kikani Vidhya Mandir, stated that the school has focused on embedding sustainability, social responsibility, and leadership into its educational approach. She added that being recognised as a Global Finalist provides students a platform to translate Sustainable Development Goals into practical action.
The 2026 winners in other categories include Jade (UAE) in Health, N&E Innovations (Singapore) in Food, BASE Foundation (Switzerland) in Energy, Stattus4 (Brazil) in Water, and Build Up Nepal (Nepal) in Climate Action. The Global High Schools award went to Mamawi Atosketan Native School (Canada), Kyanja High School (Uganda), Al Rajaa School for the Deaf (Jordan), Bodrum Anatolian High School (Türkiye), Faafu Atoll Education Center (Maldives), and Ruamrudee International School (Thailand).
Since its establishment in 2008, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has recognised organisations and high schools addressing challenges in Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. To date, it has awarded 128 winners and positively impacted over 411 million people worldwide.
The Global High Schools category enables youth to implement practical solutions to local challenges, with each winning school receiving up to US $150,000 to carry out student-led projects that create social, economic, and environmental impact.
