UAE's Ministry of Environment and Water, in co-operation with the Zayed International Prize for the Environment, has launched a Dh1 million ($272,250) Emirates Appreciation Prize for the Environment.

The award is established with the aim of stimulating environmentally conscious initiatives among the larger community including corporate, government institutions and individuals.

Designed to promote the values of sustainable development and innovation among the local community, the prize will recognize outstanding efforts in the field of energy and environmental conservation across all spectrums of society.

It will support and encourage individual and collective national environmental initiatives that will contribute to the sustainability of natural resources and energy. It will highlight the efforts of industrial and service enterprises which are committed to environmental standards and contribute toward the promotion of a culture of environmental awareness among members of society.

The awards will be classified into five categories including the Environmental personality prize, Institutional prize for industry, Institutional prize for education, Innovation and environmental research prize  and the Media and environmental awareness prize, each of which carries a reward sum of Dh200,000.

The prize will be awarded every two years at a special honoring ceremony. The Higher Committee of the Zayed International Prize shall determine the dates for nominations for each session of the award in sufficient time and announce it through every means available.

Nominations for the inaugural prize will be accepted from across all the emirates starting today (September 15) and until the end of December which will be the last date for receipt of nominations for the first cycle. – TradeArabia News Service