📣 PRIMA is proud to announce the launch of the PRIMA Young Innovators Award 2026, a new recognition prize celebrating the creativity, leadership, and determination of young innovators from Southern Mediterranean countries who are shaping a more sustainable future for the region.
🔑 Why this Award matters
The Mediterranean faces urgent challenges: water scarcity, climate stress, food insecurity, and ecosystem degradation. Young people across the region are already responding with innovative solutions, from water-saving technologies and resilient farming practices to community-driven initiatives that strengthen livelihoods and social inclusion.
The PRIMA Young Innovators Award recognizes these changemakers. It celebrates youth who have personally led or significantly contributed to solutions aligned with PRIMA’s mission, and it encourages the leadership, initiative, and problem-solving capacity needed to address the region’s sustainability challenges.
🔬 What we’re looking for
The Award seeks young innovators who have conceived, developed, or implemented solutions that:
- Address key Mediterranean challenges in sustainable agriculture, water management, resilient food systems, or responsible use of natural resources
- Demonstrate relevance to local contexts and respond to real societal, environmental, and economic needs
- Show measurable or credible expected impacts on environmental sustainability, livelihoods, or social inclusion
- Have potential for replication, scalability, and youth empowerment, including inspiring and mentoring other young innovators, with particular attention to women innovators
💰 The Prize
Two equivalent recognition prizes of EUR 10,000 each will be awarded to the two highest-ranked eligible applications following a transparent evaluation by an independent panel of experts.
↪️ Who Can Apply
The Award is open to natural persons aged 18–35 who are nationals and residents of one of the PRIMA Participating States bordering the Mediterranean Sea: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, or Türkiye.
Applicants may submit individually or as a group, provided all applicants meet the eligibility criteria. The Award is addressed exclusively to individuals, applications based on affiliation with or representation of companies or organizations are not eligible.
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