The Chasing Genius Challenge invites ideas from around the world to make the planet more sustainable; to improve global health; and to feed nine billion people by mid-century. Each idea should be submitted as a one-minute video. The submitted ideas will be evaluated according to criteria of innovation, creativity, viability, and inspiration. The winner in each of the three categories will be awarded US$25 thousand, in addition to a fourth winner chosen on the basis of popular vote. The submission period is 01 June through 31 July 2017. Link
awards/prizes
Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Climate Co-Lab
The Climate Co-Lab aims to gather and apply collective intelligence from around the world to address global climate change. The Co-Lab invites the best ideas to prevent and adapt to climate change. Some contests pose social and political questions, while others focus on issues in science and technology. The Climate Co-Lab posts new contests on a continuing basis. The contest winners each year compete for a prize of US$10 thousand. Link
Best Climate Practices — Ideas to Build Local Resilience to Climate Risks
The Best Climate Practices contest for 2017 focuses on building local resilience to climate disaster risk. The contest is open to individuals, teams, or organizations regardless of nationality, age, or qualifications. The contest winner will be awarded €3 thousand. The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2017. Link
UNESCO — Juan Bosch Prize for Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean
The United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) invites applications for the 2017 Juan Bosch Prize. The Prize aims to reward the best social science thesis of young researchers who are making significant research contributions to social development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Past awards have included thesis topics on policies for natural resources, among others. The amount of the prize is US$10 thousand. The closing date for nominations (English, Spanish) is 30 May 2017. Link
International Plant Nutrition Institute — IPNI Science Award 2017
The IPNI Science Award is presented each year to an agricultural scientist for outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education focusing on management of plant nutrients. Eligibility for nominations extends to agronomists, crop scientists, and soil scientists worldwide. The recipient receives a plaque and US$5 thousand. The deadline for nominations is 30 September 2017. Link
International Center for Climate Governance — Best Climate Practices
The Best Climate Practices contest for 2017 focuses on actionable ideas and concrete projects to support urban and/or rural communities in preparing and responding to climate disasters, improving local resilience through enhanced preparedness (ex-ante), and/or capacity to recover (ex-post). The contest is open to individuals, teams, or organizations regardless of nationality, age, or qualifications. The contest winner will be awarded €3 thousand. The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2017. Link
Australian Aid and Tata Group — XPrize for Water Abundance
Sponsored by the Tata Group jointly with Australian Aid, the Water Abundance XPRIZE invites teams to revolutionize access to water by creating a device that uses renewable energy to extract a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the atmosphere at a combined operating and capital cost of no more than two cents per liter. Eligibility to compete for the prize extends to teams of scientists, engineers, academics, entrepreneurs, and innovators from all over the world. The grand prize is US$1.5 million, and the competition will award additional (milestone) prizes of US$250 thousand. The registration deadline is 28 April 2017. Link
Smart Villages — Photo Competition on Sustainable Rural Energy
Smart Villages announces a photo competition on the theme of how energy access changes the life of rural communities around the world. The contest will emphasize the concept of energy “smartness” i.e., how energy is being used in productive, innovative, and even entrepreneurial ways. The competition is open to everyone regardless of nationality, background, age, and experience. The competition offers several cash prizes up to US$2 thousand for the overall winner. Photos must be submitted before 30 April 2017. Link
World Academy of Sciences — C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research 2017
The prize is named after TWAS Founding Fellow and former president C.N.R. Rao to honor TWAS Fellows from the developing world. The special focus is scientists in the world’s scientifically lagging and least-developed countries who have made significant contributions to global science. The amount of the prize is US$5 thousand. The closing date is 31 May 2017. Link
World Food Program — Sustainable Food and National Security
The World Food Program’s Centre of Excellence against Hunger, in partnership with the University Centre of Brasília, invite research papers on the topic ”Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security: Building Bridges between Durable Agricultural Practices and School Feeding Programmes.” The contest is open worldwide to students enrolled in graduate programs, as well as professors and graduate researchers in social and political sciences, and nutrition. The three top winners will participate in international study trips organized by the WFP Centre of Excellence. Articles must be submitted in English. The application deadline is 02 April 2017. Link