Nominations open for Zayed energy prize

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi on Sunday, announced the worldwide opening of nominations and submissions for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the winner of which will receive $1.5 million and two finalists $350,000 each, for their contributions in the global response to the future of energy.

Nominations and submissions for the prize, an awards programme based on the same model as the Nobel Prize, will be open until July 31 and September 30, respectively, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive officer of Masdar at a news conference here.

He said the winner and the finalists of the first Zayed prize will be announced at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on January 19, 2009.

The Zayed prize, designed to recognise and reward achievements in energy innovation, was announced in January by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the first edition of the World Future Energy Summit. The prize is linked to the vision of the founding father of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

"Each year, those recognised by Zayed awards will share a prize pool of $2.2 million," Shaikh Mohammad said.

A website, www.zayedfutureenergyprize.com will be a focal point for information and updates on the prize and will be a portal for entering nominations and submissions.

Finalists for the Zayed prize will be nominated by experts across the globe. The winners will be chosen by a jury chaired by Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the UN body - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Pachauri-led IPCC team was the co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.