FAO Award for Innovation 2027

The FAO Award for Innovation 2027 is given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to recognise ground-breaking innovation in areas under FAO's mandate, meaning food and agriculture. The winner receives a scroll and a cash prize of US$10,000 (about ₹9.5 lakh). Nominations close on 31 December 2026. This is a nomination-based award with an endorsement rule: if you nominate yourself or your own organisation, you need a letter of support from an FAO Representative or an FAO Director, otherwise the nomination is not considered.

What the program offers

The prize is a scroll and US$10,000 (about ₹9.5 lakh) in cash. The Director-General of FAO presents the award at a ceremony during the 185th Session of the FAO Council at FAO headquarters in Rome in December 2027. FAO pays the winner's travel to attend. The entry form asks how you would use the prize money to scale up the innovation, with amounts for each activity, so the money is meant to help the innovation grow. The prize is an award, not an investment, and the source mentions no equity.

Who can apply

The award is open to a wide range of nominees: FAO Member states, institutions, individuals, international and regional organisations, academic and research bodies, civil society organisations and private sector entities. Individual applicants must be at least 18. The innovation can be technological (including digital and biotechnology), social, financial, policy-related or institutional, or a sustainable practice such as agroecology, or a new business model.

Two criteria are specific to this award. The innovation should have an impact on more than one level of the supply chain, from small-scale producers such as farmers, herders and fishers through to consumers. It should also strengthen the link between small-scale producers and consumers, through institutional, policy, financial, social or technological means. General criteria include quality and merit, potential benefit, impact and sustainability, accessibility and affordability, scalability, value for money, and the role of young people under 35, women and marginalised groups.

The source sets no country restriction, so an Indian agritech startup, farmer organisation, NGO or research body can be nominated. It suits a company or organisation with proven results across the food chain. It does not suit an early idea with no results; the award recognises achievements from the previous two-year period.

How to apply

Before you fill in the form, contact the FAO Representation in your country, or the relevant FAO regional or subregional office, and ask for an endorsement or letter of support. Individuals and institutions must include it, sent by email or as a signed letter, and nominations without a valid endorsement are not considered. FAO checks all endorsements. A practical tip: start this conversation early, because getting the letter may take time.

Then fill in the online nomination form. It asks for details of the nominated person or institution, an executive summary, and a detailed nomination covering results, contribution across the supply chain, the role of youth, women and marginalised groups, contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, the "four betters" (better production, nutrition, environment and life), how it meets users' needs, revenue and sharing potential, value for money and life-cycle costs, use of the prize money, and independent third-party evidence of performance. Upload the endorsement with the form, or email it to the Awards Secretariat. The page is in English, and the source does not say which languages the form accepts.

How applications are judged and what happens next

FAO's Office of Innovation provides technical review, checks eligibility and does due diligence on non-state nominees. An interdepartmental screening committee chaired by FAO's Director of Cabinet reviews nominations and draws up a short list. A Selection Committee chaired by the Director-General, with the Independent Chairperson of the FAO Council and the chairs of the Programme and Finance Committees, makes the final decision. The source does not give a date for announcing the result beyond the December 2027 ceremony.

About FAO

FAO is the United Nations agency for food and agriculture. Its Conference created this award, and its work is led by its Member states through the Conference and Council. It has regional offices covering Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East and North Africa, plus country offices.

Things to check before you apply

• No valid endorsement means no valid nomination.
• Late, incomplete or non-compliant nominations can be declared ineligible.
• FAO charges no participation fee and pays no costs beyond the prize and the winner's travel.
• You must give accurate information, and FAO may reuse submitted material for promotion.
• The ceremony is in December 2027, so the prize timing is a long way off.