Sustainable Development
About the
Awards
The Maltese Government is constantly stepping up its efforts to fast-track sustainable development. Malta’s Sustainable Development Action Awards have been established to recognise, promote, celebrate and reward individuals, voluntary organisations, businesses, academic teams and public institutions/bodies that are leading the way in sustainable innovation and practices with the aim of increasing economic, social and environmental sustainability.
To this purpose, the Ministry for Energy, the Environment and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour invites and encourages all those eligible to take up the challenge and the opportunity to help deliver sustainable change.
General
Eligibility Criteria
For those who wish to submit a nomination, it must be noted that the general criteria below apply. Further criteria will also apply in accordance with the category for which the nomination is being submitted. These additional criteria are available on each respective awards page.
- Applicants must meet the stakeholder requirement listed under the respective award category.
- Applicants must be residents of Malta or Gozo.
- Applicant/s must be an adult aged 18 years or above. In cases such as the Youth Leadership Award, applications must be submitted by a parent or guardian for applicants under the age of 18.
- Private company and NGO/VO applicants must be registered in Malta or Gozo by the competent authorities.
- Applicants can only submit one specific project, initiative or action under one of the eight awards.
- Applicants must ensure that the project/initiative is in line with Malta’s Sustainable Development Strategy, and yields net social, economic and environmental benefits. The project/initiative’s benefits must accrue in the Maltese Islands.
- All submissions must relate to projects or initiatives whose implementation began in 2024 or later. Projects for which preparatory work, such as proposal development, funding applications, or research, started before 2024 are still eligible, provided that actual implementation commenced in 2024 onwards. Ongoing projects whose implementation began prior to 2024 will not be considered eligible.
- Only applications submitted through the application form will be considered. Applications sent by email or any other method will not be considered.
- Voluntary Organisations must supply their latest compliance certificate.
- Applicants may not submit projects or initiatives that previously placed first in the previous editions of the Sustainable Development Action Awards.
- Where applicable, projects/initiatives that are supported through National, European or other funds are allowed. Details on funding must be provided in the application form.
- Projects/initiatives must be covered by all necessary regulatory and/or other permits, where applicable, and must be carried out in full conformity with all applicable laws and regulations. The Evaluation Committee shall have the right to withhold or cancel any award, or to impose additional terms and safeguards, if applicants fail to obtain the required authorisation within a reasonable timeframe as decided by the Evaluation Committee.
- Non-disclosure of any required information (including any details required for processing of the application or for subsequent administration, verification or monitoring), or submission of inaccurate, incomplete and/or misleading information, shall invalidate the application and may also constitute grounds for disqualification.
- Applications close on Friday 14th August 2026 at 12pm, noon.
- Applications should be submitted in English or Maltese.
Application
Process
Applicants must submit an application form, accessible on the Sustainable Development website. Kindly provide as much detail as possible in the Application Form on how the submitted project/initiative has fulfilled the criteria mentioned in the Evaluation Process and Criteria Section (found under each award).
Submit supporting documents as evidence of the project/initiative as part of the Application Form. Supporting documents can be in any format as long as they provide clear evidence of what is claimed in a concise manner. When submitting supporting documents, be sure to appropriately name the file document by including the application form question number (for example Q1, Q2 etc…) that the supporting document is linked to .
Applicants are granted up to 5 working days after the closing date or up to up to 5 working days from date of notification, whichever is the latest, to submit any incorrect or incomplete documents as may be indicated by the Sustainable Development Directorate and/or the Evaluation Committee. The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to ask for documentation or proof for verification of the information given. Each project must have a single contact person, whose details will be given as part of the submission.
Supporting
documentation
- Documentation clearly demonstrating the project/initiative;
- Any relevant data;
- Any financial statements, where relevant;
- A copy of all applicable permits, where relevant;
- Any other documentation that may be relevant to the application process;
- A copy of the applicant’s ID card;
- Voluntary Organisations must supply their latest compliance certificate.
Application
Deadline
Applications must be submitted by Friday 14th August 2026 at 12pm, noon. Any application submitted after this date will not be considered.
Note: Eligibility criteria and evaluation process may be revised by MEER and awards may not necessarily be awarded every year.
Evaluation Process
and Criteria
Submissions will be assessed by a panel of technical assessors. Assessment will be made according to the judging criteria outlined under each award. There will be two rounds of assessment. The first round will include the criteria found in each award page. The top 3 nominations under each award will then be shortlisted. Following shortlisting, a public vote will be taken on the shortlisted nominations.
