As ecosystems face unprecedented pressure, recognizing individuals who drive meaningful change has become essential to sustaining life on Earth. The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity highlights those efforts and amplifies their impact worldwide.
The global community continues to seek effective ways to halt and reverse biodiversity loss while addressing interconnected challenges such as climate change, food security, and human well-being. Within this context, international recognition initiatives play a crucial role in elevating successful approaches, sharing knowledge, and inspiring action across sectors and borders. One such initiative is the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity, an international award dedicated to honoring individuals whose work has made a measurable difference in the conservation and sustainable use of the planet’s biological diversity.
The nomination process for the 2026 edition of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is now underway, inviting the public to recommend individuals whose achievements reflect notable leadership, creative approaches, and lasting influence. Submissions can be made from 2 February to 31 March 2026 via the official platform of the AEON Environmental Foundation. By opening nominations to everyone, the Prize strengthens its dedication to openness and inclusivity, ensuring that meaningful contributions from a wide range of regions and fields gain recognition on the global stage.
An honor designed to elevate biodiversity to a prominent place on the global agenda
The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity was created to underscore the fundamental role that biodiversity plays in sustaining ecosystems and supporting human societies. Healthy biodiversity underpins food systems, regulates climate, protects water resources, and contributes to economic stability and cultural identity. Despite this, biodiversity loss has accelerated in recent decades, driven by habitat destruction, pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, and 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.
Global cooperation stands at the core 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, adopted in 1992, provides the principal global framework for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and the fair sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Through its involvement, the CBD Secretariat helps position 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. These events are expected to contribute to global momentum around the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP 17), scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia. COP 17 will be convened under the theme “Taking action for Nature,” emphasizing implementation and accountability during a critical phase for global biodiversity commitments.
Recognizing excellence across multiple fields of action
One of the defining features of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is its recognition of excellence across different areas of contribution. Rather than focusing on a single discipline, the Prize acknowledges that progress in biodiversity conservation depends on complementary efforts that address scientific, social, and political dimensions.
Historically, award categories have included implementation, science and research, and policy and enlightenment. Implementation-focused recipients are often those who translate knowledge into action, delivering conservation outcomes through field projects, community engagement, or sustainable resource management. Science and research honorees contribute by advancing understanding of ecosystems, species, and ecological processes, providing the evidence base needed for informed decision-making. Policy and enlightenment awardees, meanwhile, play a critical role in shaping legislation, influencing governance frameworks, and raising public awareness.
This comprehensive approach reflects the intricate nature of biodiversity challenges and stresses that no single route can stand alone. By acknowledging accomplishments across these areas, the Prize fosters dialogue among sectors and underscores the importance of coordinated, integrated strategies.
A decade influenced by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
The importance of the MIDORI Prize has grown consistently as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) gained adoption, a plan ratified at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in 2022. This Framework functions as a global guide intended to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, presenting 23 actionable targets that address the primary drivers of ecological damage while promoting sustainable use and equitable 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 urgency to scale meaningful solutions becomes increasingly clear, and recognition initiatives such as the MIDORI Prize can accelerate this momentum by highlighting successful strategies and encouraging their implementation in a wide range of contexts.
Forging a legacy with a profound impact across the globe
Since its creation during the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010, the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity has honored 21 individuals representing 20 countries, reflecting the worldwide scope of biodiversity issues and the shared importance of conservation. Spanning tropical rainforests, coral reef habitats, urban environments, and farmland, the achievements of previous recipients show that meaningful progress can emerge through many different approaches.
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.
Furthermore, public acknowledgment can boost an awardee’s profile and trustworthiness, helping them obtain funding, shape policy decisions, and grow their programs. In doing so, the Prize serves as a powerful driver that amplifies individual contributions and supports wider systemic transformation.
Community involvement and the selection 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 engagement in the nomination process also serves an educational function, encouraging greater awareness of biodiversity issues and the people addressing them. By learning about potential nominees and their work, members of the public gain insight into the practical actions that support environmental sustainability.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond
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.
In a decade that will define the future of the planet’s biological diversity, recognizing and supporting those who lead by example is more than symbolic. It is a strategic investment in the ideas, practices, and partnerships needed to safeguard nature for present and future generations. The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity stands as a testament to the impact that dedicated individuals can have when their work is acknowledged, amplified, and connected to global efforts for sustainability.
