Award supports established environmental solutions with potential for replication and scale across different geographic contexts.

The University of St Andrews, a public university in St Andrews, United Kingdom, has launched the 2026-2027 St Andrews Prize for the Environment, its 28th edition.

Launched in 1998, the St Andrews Prize for the Environment recognises significant contributions to environmental conservation. It seeks to identify and reward individuals and organisations worldwide that have developed original, practical responses to specific environmental challenges. Proposed approaches are expected to be designed to lead to action and to be realistic, realisable, scalable and replicable elsewhere, while taking account of social or economic implications.

The award is open internationally to individuals and organisations, including multidisciplinary teams and community groups. Eligible projects must address a major environmental problem and be related to sustainable development, conservation and/or biodiversity. Entries must be fully established and able to provide data and evidence demonstrating success. Applications are also expected to show that the solution is innovative, inclusive and capable of expansion to another location or of having key elements applied in another context. Applicants must set out a clearly defined plan for how the prize money would develop the project further and confirm the ability to host a University of St Andrews student for a two-week internship visit.

The overall winner will receive $95,000 and runners-up will receive $20,000. In addition, the winner and runners-up will receive a two-week internship visit from a University of St Andrews student, funded by the University.