Ever heard of Premios Verdes? It is one of the most relevant sustainability festivals in the world, which every year rewards and gives visibility to the 500 best social and environmental projects in Latin America and beyond.
Since Premios Verdes first edition in 2013, participation has grown exponentially. 12.690 participants from 1.144 cities from 41 countries have been a part of previous editions.The venue is the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. As well as being the country’s main financial centre, Guayaquil overlooks the Pacific Ocean and attracts many foreign visitors. This reflects the spirit of the event, which is not only oriented towards South America, but internationally.
South America has many reasons to host the sustainability Oscars, one of them being the high percentage of natural heritage to be protected.
This region of the world accounts for 23% of the world’s tropical forests, 31% of the water resources and 70% of the planet’s biodiversity. However, the area features the highest urban growth on the planet, with 80% of the population living in cities. This results in overpopulation, deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
That is why it is so important to promote and give visibility to green economic projects. Showcasing sustainable development initiatives has an impact on individuals and creates opportunities for changing lifestyles in their communities. This is what Premios Verdes is all about.
“Show, Connect, Reward”. This is the slogan for the Premios Verdes, the Sustainability Oscars.
Showing the world regional initiatives in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the first step. Each of these projects falls into one of the 10 categories established by the Premios Verdes:
- Water
- Forests and flora
- Biodiversity and fauna
- Human development
- Social inclusion and inequality reduction
- Energy
- Green finance
- Urban management
- Solid waste management
- Oceans and sustainable consumption and production
The second step is to connect the participants and all the participating institutions Over the years, Premios Verdes has built up a network of more than 85 organisations. This allows green start-ups to get in touch with ministries, local governments, NGOs, private and financial sector organisations.
Reward: what do the winners of Premios Verdes get?
- UNDP is sponsoring a project amongst the winners to carry out an environmental impact assessment, measuring the initiative’s contribution to the SDGs.
- Of the 30 finalists, DIRECTV chooses four stories to produce the documentary “PROTAGONISTAS”, which is broadcast throughout the Americas.
- Three out of the 500 best projects will be chosen to participate in a training session in New York.
The Jury of Premios Verdes:
A group of 300 socio-environmental experts devote their experience and time each year to assessing the work of the candidates. Premios Verdes‘s Jury is made up of two international divisions: The technical commission (first selection of projects) and the Annual Jury (final selection).
The role of the Technical Commission is to be the first filter in the selection of candidates. Once the score of all participants has been determined, they are ranked, and the finalists are nominated.
Premios Verdes’s upcoming edition:
Miami, Florida, will hold the 2021 edition. The festival will welcome the best sustainable initiatives not only from the entire American continent, but also from Spain and Portugal, thus opening the doors to a more globalised formula than in previous years. The choice stems from the interest in generating more connections and development opportunities between nations that are far apart but have a common goal.
Are you interested and eligible to participate? The opportunity is unique, and registrations are still open until 25 October.
