[2024 Edition] Food Planet Prize – Nominate Now!

Deadline Date: 31 March 2025.

Do you have an idea that could solve the dilemma of feeding a growing population on a warming planet? Do you know of an innovation that has the potential to sustainably transform the food system? Give it a chance to win the world’s biggest environmental Prize and nominate for the Food Planet Prize.

The Curt Bergfors Food Planet Prize is the largest monetary award in the global food arena. It rewards innovative solutions that can help them shift to sustainable food systems within a ten-year timeframe. The Prize is the Curt Bergfors Foundation’s primary tool to encourage agents of change and promote game-changing initiatives.

Purpose

• Accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems

Prize Details

• Two US 2$ million prizes annually.
• The Jury will evaluate the nominated initiatives against six criteria, including feasibility, scalability, and potential for systemic change. Each nominee gets several opportunities to win, as this year’s nominations will also be considered for future editions of the Prize.

Eligibility Criteria

• They look for brilliant concepts and projects all year round and welcome nominations from all over the world. Anyone can submit one’s own initiative or someone else’s, single or multiple nominations.
• Nominees can be individuals, groups, organizations or businesses fully committed to sustainable food or distinctly identified projects implemented by existing companies and institutions.
• They welcome a broad range of initiatives. They can be science-based or derived from practice, industrial or crafts-based, entrepreneurial or institutional, behavioral, or high-tech. Still, they must have the potential for broad scaling and application.
• They are casting the net far and wide. That means anyone can submit a nomination, one’s own initiative or project, or somebody else’s.
• They also set zero limits on the number of submissions per individual. One, two, or more, they encourage you to nominate multiple initiatives. And they have an

always-open nomination process. Therefore, you can nominate promising ideas as soon as you cross their paths, no matter the time of year.

Evaluation Criteria

• Relevance – focus area and intended impact. Which food system problem is addressed and what particular change is aimed at?
• Innovation – novel thinking and/or practice. How does the initiative differ from the current methods and why does it matter?
• Time to impact – Significant impact within ten years or faster. What stage is the initiative in right now, and how long until full-scale application in the best-case scenario?
• Scalability – Capacity to scale broadly. How broadly can the initiative be applied nationally, regionally, and globally? The challenge is global, this is why the solutions must be able to scale broadly.
• Evidence – Proof that the initiative works or may work. What theoretical underpinning or practical/operational evidence is there?
• Systemic impact – Effects in a broader context. Does the initiative bring about additional economic, environmental, social, or health advantages?

For more information, visit The Curt Bergfors Foundation.

YOUNG AFRICAN WOMEN Scientists in Africa 2025

Deadline Date: March 31, 2025

The UNESCO Young African Women Scientists Programme, seeks to promote and support two exceptional young African women in the life sciences.

UNESCO and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea are launching for the first time a fellowship programme entirely

 dedicated to young African women scientists. This initiative aims to bridge the persistent gaps on the African continent. It is designed to offer targeted support and focuses on promoting equal opportunities in science, by creating concrete opportunities for young women to become actively involved in various life science disciplines.

Objectives

• Enhancing opportunities by providing scholarships and training to empower talented young women in Africa within the life sciences.
• Boosting productivity by supporting research grants and offering professional development to increase creativity and research output.
• Leadership development by equipping a new generation of women with mentorship and leadership skills to become leaders in scientific fields.
• Fostering sustainable development by encouraging women scientists to contribute to sustainable development projects in their home countries.
• Building networks by facilitating regional and international collaborations through conferences, workshops, and networking opportunities.

Funding Information

• Each year, two young women will be awarded a grant of $25,000, with a total of

$50,000, to advance their research and foster a promising scientific career.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must hold African nationality and conduct research at a recognized laboratory in Africa.
• Must be under 45 years of age at the time of application.
• Must hold a PhD in the field of life sciences.
• Engaged in scientific research within the field of life sciences, focusing on advancing knowledge and contributing to sustainable development.

National Commissions can submit applications.

• Eligible Scientific Fields:
  • Medical and Health Sciences
  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular, cellular and structural biology
  • Biological systems and organisms
  • Environmental and ecological sciences
  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences
  • Physical sciences
  • Chemical sciences
  • Bioinformatics
  • Computational Biology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Mathematical Sciences (only where applicable to life sciences research)

Selection Criteria

• Significant contributions and innovation in their research.
• Notable achievements and advancements in the life sciences.
• Production of scientific materials (e.g., publications, patents).
• Recognition at national, regional, or international levels (awards, grants).
• Alignment with UNESCO’s goals for sustainable development in science.

Application Requirements

• Once pre-registered, the candidate will be invited to complete a comprehensive online submission form in English or French, which should include the following elements:
  • A proposal outlining an innovative research idea that can be completed within one year, considering the facilities available to the applicant.
  • A detailed work plan, including the project’s activities, objectives, and expected outcomes, with a timeline showing completion within one year.
  • A comprehensive budget breakdown for the $25,000 grant, clearly demonstrating how the funds will be allocated to implement the proposed project (e.g., materials, equipment, travel, publication fees, etc.). Given that the Grant Disbursement will be as follows:
    • $23,000 of the grant will be provided in advance at the start of the project.
    • $2,000 will be provided upon submission of a final report at the end of the fellowship period, detailing the project’s results and the use of the funds.

• A summary of past research, including publications and other supporting documents, with significant publications highlighted.
  • A detailed CV, including academic qualifications, positions held, research experience, and current work.
  • One or two recommendation letters from a thesis supervisor or peer in the research field (who is not part of the candidate’s immediate environment).

For more information, visit UNESCO.