Deadline: May 28, 2026
Applications are open for the 2026 PRIMA Young Innovators Award. The PRIMA Young Innovators Award 2026 is a Recognition Prize27, rewarding the creativity, leadership, and determination of young innovators from Southern Mediterranean Countries who are shaping a more sustainable future for the region.
If you’re interested in developing solutions for a more sustainable future, apply for the PRIMA Young Innovators Award 2026, which celebrates young innovators who provide sustainable solutions to address social, environmental, and economic challenges in the Mediterranean region.
The Award aims to:
- Recognise young innovators who have personally led or significantly contributed to the conception and implementation of a solution aligned with PRIMA’s mission;
Promote youth leadership, initiative and problem-solving capacity in addressing Mediterranean sustainability challenges; - Support innovations that demonstrate clear relevance to local Mediterranean contexts and respond to real societal, environmental and economic needs;
- Encourage initiatives with measurable or credible expected impacts on environmental sustainability, livelihoods, or social inclusion;
- Foster replication, scalability and youth empowerment, including inspiring and mentoring other young innovators, with particular attention to women innovators.
The PRIMA Young Innovators Award 2026 will be awarded following a contest procedure and a transparent evaluation process, as described in the Rules of Contest (RoC) published on the PRIMA website at the time of call launch. Two equivalent recognition prizes will be awarded to the two highest-ranked eligible applications following evaluation. Each prize amounts to EUR 10,000.
The Prize
Prize Amount(s): Two awards of EUR 10,000 each
Total Budget: EUR 20,000
Awardees will benefit from high visibility and recognition, including media coverage, public acknowledgement and networking opportunities.
Eligibility
Applicants must fulfill all of the following conditions:
- Be natural persons aged between 18 and 35 years at the deadline for submission;
- Be nationals and residents of one of the PRIMA Participating States bordering the Mediterranean Sea (Southern Mediterranean Countries), namely Algeria*, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco*, Tunisia, or Türkiye;
- Submit an application either:
- as an individual young innovator, or
- as a group of young innovators through a joint application, provided that all applicants fulfil all eligibility criteria.
The Award is addressed exclusively to natural persons. Applications based on affiliation with or representation of a company, organisation, or other legal entity are not foreseen and are not eligible.
In the case of joint applications submitted by a group of persons:
- One applicant shall be designated as the lead participant for administrative and financial purposes;
- Eligibility checks shall be carried out on all applicants. If one applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria, the group shall be invited to replace that applicant; failing this, the entire application shall be rejected;
- The prize shall be awarded jointly to all eligible applicants;
The prize payment shall be made exclusively to the lead participant, in accordance with the applicable rules. Any recovery of amounts shall be subject to the applicable legal framework and, where relevant, to the agreement of PRIMA-IS. In practice, recoveries should be limited to cases of misrepresentation or fraud and will, in principle, be addressed to the lead participant. Any joint and several responsibilities of other applicants shall be assessed on a case-by-case basis and subject to agreement by the Legal Service.
Application
Applicants should review the Rules of Contest 2026 before submitting an application.
For more information, visit PRIMA Young Innovators Award.
