The ESD Okayama Award recognizes outstanding ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) activities around the world, and is now open for applications.
The ESD Okayama Award Steering Board※ and the City of Okayama, Japan are calling for initiatives from around the world that contribute to the spread of ESD in local communities and that can serve as models of good practice. Projects that educate and encourage people to learn from each other in order to take action and create a sustainable society from various perspectives, such as environmental protection, community development, the inheritance of traditional culture, diversity and inclusion, etc. are welcome.
Eligibility: ESD projects conducted by an organization (not an individual) that have been ongoing for at least three years as of April 2026.
Number of Awards: One or Two project(s)
Prize: US $3,000 each
Application Deadline: 14 May 2026 (Thursday), 5pm (Japan Standard Time)
*Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
Award Ceremony: 14 November 2026 (Saturday)
The City of Okayama will invite one representative from each organization implementing an award-winning project to the City. The invitee will attend the award ceremony, give a presentation on the award-winning project and interact with local organizations in the Okayama area.
For the application guideline and the information on how to apply online, please visit the official website:
https://www.city.okayama.jp/kurashi/0000070653.html
You can view the latest news about the Award and previous applicants:
https://www.city.okayama.jp/kurashi/category/1-9-9-8-3-0-0-0-0-0.html
https://www.youtube.com/@esd7141 (Past award ceremonies and winning projects’ presentations)
About the ESD Okayama Award
The ESD Okayama Award has been held under the joint sponsorship of the ESD Okayama Award Steering Board※ and the City of Okayama since 2015, with the aim of honoring excellent examples of ESD in Japan and abroad, thereby supporting the activities of the award-winning project organizations and contributing to the spread of ESD activities.
※The ESD Okayama Award Steering Board is composed of the following organizations:
• United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
• UNESCO Bangkok
• Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
• Japan Council on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J)
• The Goi Peace Foundation
• Okayama ESD Promotion Commission