British billionaire Richard Branson. ARCHIVE

British billionaire Richard Branson has joined a prestigious panel of judges for the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize, which received a record-breaking 7,761 submissions from 173 countries this year. Branson, founder of Virgin Group, will be joined on the jury by global leaders including Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Shamma Al Mazrui, former Iceland president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, and Wang Chuanfu, CEO of BYD. The prize, now in its 17th year, honors scalable innovations across six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. This year’s entries marked a 30 percent increase from the previous cycle, with strong emphasis on AI and FinTech projects. “The record number of submissions reflects a growing global commitment to practical, scalable solutions that deliver long-term impact,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Director General of the Prize. Winners will be announced on January 13, 2026, during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Each category winner will receive $1 million, while selected high schools will get $150,000 each to implement their projects. ICA/Expat Media
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