MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2026 Opens Nominations Until March

The AEON Environmental Foundation and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity have opened the nomination period for the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2026, accepting entries from 2 February to 31 March 2026. The award ceremony will be held on 27 August 2026 in Tokyo, Japan, timed to build momentum ahead of CBD COP 17 in Yerevan, Armenia.

The MIDORI Prize recognises outstanding individual contributions to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, with nominations open to the public through the AEON Environmental Foundation website. Two prizes of USD 100,000 each will be awarded in categories spanning Implementation, Science and Research, and Policy and Enlightenment. Established in 2010 during the International Year of Biodiversity, the prize has so far been awarded to 21 individuals from 20 countries.

The prize is co-organised by the AEON Environmental Foundation and the CBD Secretariat, and the 2026 edition is designed to contribute to global mobilisation ahead of CBD COP 17, themed "Taking action for Nature." The award aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 in 2022, which sets 23 action targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Growing corporate and governmental attention to nature-related financial disclosures has elevated the profile of biodiversity recognition programmes.

The Award Winners Forum alongside the ceremony will offer a platform for prize recipients to share their work with a global audience of policymakers and conservation practitioners. The prize reflects the CBD's emphasis on a whole-of-society approach, acknowledging that achieving the Kunming-Montreal targets requires contributions across science, policy, and on-the-ground implementation. Interested nominators can apply through the foundation's website before the 31 March 2026 deadline.

Key figure — $100,000 each