FAO International Innovation Award 2026 for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (USD 10,000 prize) – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: February 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026 FAO International Innovation Award. The FAO Award for Innovation acknowledges ground-breaking improvements in areas below FAO’s mandate to Members or non-state companions, together with establishments, people, worldwide/regional organizations, tutorial or analysis entities, civil society teams, personal sector entities and FAO staff. 

Requirements

Basic Criteria

The successful establishment/group demonstrates that they efficiently contributed to an space of labor associated to FAO’s mandate, assembly one or the entire following standards:

Award particular standards:

• Have an affect on multiple degree of the availability chain from farmers to customers.
• Strengthen the hyperlink between farmers and customers, e.g., by means of monitoring sustainability options of traded meals and agriculture merchandise on labels, revolutionary institutional mechanisms and many others.

General standards:

• Quality and advantage of the innovation
• Potential profit, affect and sustainability
• Scalability
• Value for cash
• Role of youth (below 35), and/or ladies, and/or marginalized teams

Benefits

Cash Prize

Eligible winners are recognised with a USD 10,000 money award to help additional improvement or scaling of their innovation.

 Official Recognition

Awardees obtain worldwide acknowledgment from FAO and could also be featured throughout key United Nations gatherings, together with the FAO Council session in Rome.

Global Visibility

Winning improvements are highlighted throughout FAO channels and associate networks, considerably boosting visibility amongst donors, companions and potential collaborators.

Policy Influence

Highlighted improvements will be showcased to world policymakers and establishments considering sustainable meals techniques transformation.

Selection Process

Proposals for nominations introduced by nationwide, regional or world establishments ought to be submitted to FAO Representatives (in nations with an accredited FAO Representative) or to FAO Regional and Subregional Representatives (in nations with no accredited FAO Representative), as acceptable, for submission to the Awards Secretariat.

The Award is conferred for actions and programmes with outstanding achievements throughout the biennium previous the present one. The Award shall be introduced by the Director-General to the person or consultant of the recipient establishment throughout a particular ceremony on the 181st session of the FAO Council on 30 November-6 December 2026.

Application Timeline:

• December 2025 – Call for nominations  
• February 2026 – Close name 
• March/April– Screening 
• May – Selection 
• December – Ceremony  

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the FAO International Innovation Award