The people doing the work, recognised for it.
Cash and expert support for one initiative already creating real green impact where it operates. Open to an individual, a group of community members, a local association, a charity or a small NGO.
Each account may enter one award only — choose the one that fits your work best.
- Applications close
- 10 September 2026
- Winners announced
- late October 2026
Community-scale, not corporate-scale
This award judges the initiative, not the organisation behind it. A solo organiser, a handful of neighbours or a small association competes on equal terms with a bigger, better-resourced group — what matters is what you achieved with what you had.
Who it's for
Anyone running a real, community-based green initiative that is already operating and has already created green impact. The initiative must be driven by positive impact rather than profit.
What this award is not for
This is a community-scale award, and the test is scale and funding source rather than legal form. The following sit outside it:
- Initiatives delivered as part of a large, institutionally funded international programme.
- Organisations operating at national or international scale on substantial donor budgets.
- Business support organisations — this award is not for business-focused activity.
If your work is business-focused, the Impact Startup Award is the one for you.
What counts as green impact
Any genuine effort, action, product, service or initiative that aims to protect the environment or move economic activity toward a greener, more circular model. It covers the work being done, not only the results achieved.
- Circular economy — waste, reuse, repair and recycling
- Resource efficiency — water, energy, materials
- Clean energy and emissions
- Pollution reduction
- Nature and biodiversity
- Sustainable production and consumption
- Environmental awareness
The evidence you'll need
Every applicant sends evidence that the initiative is real and its green impact is genuine. Any of these work:
- Photographs of the initiative being carried out
- Video of it at work
- Social media accounts or pages that document it over time
- Photographs or video of the green impact itself, where you have them
- Anything else that supports it — local press, a letter from the community or the municipality, records of materials collected
Evidence is not scored. Stronger documentation does not earn a higher mark — it only establishes that you qualify. If something is unclear we'll ask you once before deciding.
How your application is judged
First we verify the evidence — pass or fail. Verified applications are then scored, the top ten are shortlisted, and finalists pitch live online to the panel.
Green impact
How significant and credible is the environmental benefit delivered to the community?
Initiative and resourcefulness
What was achieved relative to the means available — ingenuity, persistence, self-starting effort.
Clarity and communication
How clearly is the initiative and its impact explained and evidenced?
What you achieved with what you had matters more than how big you are.
Key dates
- Applications close
- 10 September 2026
- Winners announced
- late October 2026
Apply in Arabic, English or French
Questions
Do we need to be registered, or not-for-profit?
No. There is no requirement for legal registration, a budget, or a minimum period of operation. Individuals and informal groups are welcome alongside associations and NGOs.
Does receiving funding disqualify us?
Not in itself — we ask about funding so that applications can be compared fairly. What sits outside this award is work delivered as part of a large, institutionally funded international programme, or by an organisation operating at national or international scale on a substantial donor budget.
We're a business support organisation or a chamber — can we enter?
This award is for community-scale work rather than business-focused activity, so business support organisations sit outside it. If your work is business-focused, the Impact Startup Award is the one for you.
Do we have to be based in the region?
The initiative's activity and its green impact must take place in a community in the wider MENA region, and at least one person overseeing it must be based there. Everyone else can be based anywhere — so a diaspora-led initiative can enter, as long as there is genuine oversight on the ground.