Education for Sustainable Development
The ESD Prize
Learning to act and actively shape our society in terms of sustainable development - that is the core of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Commission for UNESCO are promoting outstanding commitment to ESD with the "National Prize - Education for Sustainable Development".
What and how do we need to learn to preserve our planet and make it liveable? How can we encourage learners to take transformative action before it is too late to reshape the future? A variety of initiatives and institutions already have excellent and innovative answers to these questions: They are shaping the education of tomorrow. They provide a transfer and are committed to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) throughout their entire structure.
In order to promote their special ideas and concepts in practice, the German Commission for UNESCO and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research award the "National Prize - Education for Sustainable Development", worth a total of 100,000 EUR, from 2022. The Prize is an initiative within the framework of the UNESCO programme "ESD for 2030" and constitutes a contribution to the Decade of Action and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Prizes are awarded to places of learning, institutions, educational landscapes, multipliers and individuals of all ages who create particularly motivating and authentic teaching and learning environments, inspire as role models with their commitment to sustainable development and empower learners to act with transformative concepts.
Learning to change the world
The Prize Categories
The German Commission for UNESCO and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research are looking for diverse actors who are particularly committed to Education for Sustainable Development. Each year, a high-ranking jury with great expertise in ESD honours three actors in three categories and also awards an ESD Newcomer Prize. A total of ten prizes are awarded, each with prize money of 10,000 euros:
- Category 1: Places of ESD
- Category 2: ESD Multipliers
- Category 3: ESD Educational Landscapes
- Category 4: Newcomer
The "National Prize - Education for Sustainable Development" gives committed places of learning, multipliers and educational landscapes nationwide visibility and media coverage. Three award winners per category are honoured with prize money of 10,000 euros each in order to promote their special commitment to ESD and to further support its transfer to the wider society. The actors will be presented at a festive award ceremony on 24 January - the International Day of Education. Prize winners also receive a visual to use for their own press and public relations work, are invited to network meetings, training and further education measures and are automatically included in the pool of applicants for the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development.
