© U

NES

CO/R

ob K

amho

ot

© S

hutt

erst

ock/

Anaw

atSu

dcha

nham

UNESCO-JAPAN PRIZE on Education for Sustainable Development

United NationsEducational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization

© U

NES

CO/H

anna

Wic

tors

on

The UNESCO-Japan Prize on

Education for Sustainable

Development (ESD) consists of

three annual awards of US $50,000

each to honour outstanding

efforts of individuals, institutions,

organizations or other entities

engaged in ESD activities. Generously

funded by the Government of Japan,

the Prize will be awarded for the first

time in 2015.

ESD empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible

actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just

society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural

diversity. It is about lifelong learning, and is an integral part of

quality education. ESD is holistic and transformational education

which addresses learning content and outcomes, pedagogy and

the learning environment. It achieves its purpose by transforming

society. The Global Action Programme on ESD, the follow-up to the

United Nations Decade on ESD, intends to generate and scale-up

action in all levels and areas of education and learning to accelerate

progress towards sustainable development.

Who can submit nominations?

Nominations should be submitted to the Director-General of UNESCO by Governments of Member States and non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO. Each government or non-governmental organization can submit up to three nominations.

Who is eligible?

Individuals, institutions, organizations or other entities engaged in ESD. Nominations must focus on a specific project or programme of the nominee.

© U

NES

CO/H

anna

Wic

tors

on

© U

NES

CO/M

irjam

Tra

mpu

ź

Selection criteria

The project/programme of the nominee will be assessed by the Jury on the basis of the following criteria:

A TRANSFORMATION

The project/programme practices ESD as transformative education in support of sustainable development.

ESD is transformative education in that it empowers learners to transform themselves and the society they live in. The nominated project/programme should therefore enable learners to bring about changes for a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. This can mean, for example, taking action against climate change, changing one’s consumption patterns, developing social entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods, or supporting those struggling against poverty.

In addition to these three criteria, the project/programme should have a high impact relative to the invested resources, should be replicable and scalable, and should contribute to one or more of the five Priority Action Areas of the GAP.

The three Prize winners will be selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of recommendations made by an international independent Jury consisting of five experts.

B INTEGRATION

The project/programme addresses the three dimensions of sustainable development (society, economy, environment) in an integrated way.

Sustainable development calls for the integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of development. The nominated project/programme should be in line with this definition of sustainable development. It should address the three dimensions (society, economy, environment), and help learners understand the interdependence between them and act accordingly.

C INNOVATION

The project/programme demonstrates an innovative approach to ESD.

Sustainable development requires going beyond ‘business as usual’ and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. The nominated project/programme should demonstrate an innovative approach to ESD, be it in the themes it covers, the methodology it employs, or the way the learning environment is designed. Reaching out to sectors beyond education and working with new partners can also be a sign of innovation.

© U

NES

CO/R

ob K

amho

ot

© S

hutt

erst

ock/

Anaw

atSu

dcha

nham

Address

Section of Education for Sustainable DevelopmentEducation SectorUNESCO 7 Place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France

Tel: +33 (0)1 45 68 15 72

For further information, please refer to:https://en.unesco.org/esd-prize

For details on the Global Action Programme on ESD, please refer to:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco-world-conference-on-esd-2014/esd-after-2014/global-action-programme/

How to send nominations:1 Kindly complete the ESD Prize Nomination Form in English

or French. You can attach relevant supporting materials

(e.g. publications) to the Nomination Form. Supporting materials

should be less than twenty pages in total.

2 The Nomination Form must be accompanied with a written

recommendation by the nominating party. A self-nomination cannot

be considered. Only Governments of Member States and non-

governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO can

make nominations.

3 Submit the Nomination Form and any supporting materials

to UNESCO via email to esd@unesco.org. The documents must

be received by UNESCO by 31 May 2015. Nominations can only be

accepted from the official email accounts of Permanent Delegations

to UNESCO or non-governmental organizations in official

partnership with UNESCO.

4 Supporting documents, if not attached to the nomination email,

should be duplicated five times and sent by post to the following

address:

JapanFunds-in-Trust

With the support of

United NationsEducational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization