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Following two days of debates, the Review Committee of the Zayed Future Energy Prize has selected the shortlist of 33 candidates in the running for the awards across three categories: Large Corporations, Lifetime Achievement, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) & Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).
A record total of 425 entries from 71 countries have been received this year and following an initial vetting and selection process by a reputed international research & analysis firm, 62 candidates were selected for shortlisting by the Review Committee. Candidates are judged on four criteria: Innovation, Impact, Leadership and Long-term vision, the candidates selected at this stage all strongly reflect these values.
Commenting on the shortlisted candidates, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, said: "Innovations that have the ability to inspire and catalyse future growth and development in renewable energy and sustainability are certainly the kinds of innovations the Zayed Future Energy Prize continues to champion".
"I am very impressed by the high calibre of entries in the current shortlist which was finalised through rigorous and transparent assessment of each by Review Committee members, comprising of an internationally-experienced and talented panel of faculty members from various UAE-based academic institutions. This clearly demonstrates that the Prize - in a short space of time - has garnered an ever-growing worldwide pool of impactful green innovators, it also places the UAE at the forefront of the future of energy on the world stage.", he added.
Creating three distinct award categories has played a crucial role in helping to level the playing field for candidates large and small and importantly allowed the Review Committee to further refine the shortlisting process compared to previous years. In another first, clustering candidates with similar activities under each award category has added a further level of clarity to the selection process.
The extra level of granularity in the shortlisting process has allowed for a much more nuanced debate on what it means to be a leader in renewable energy and sustainability reflecting the increasing maturity of the Prize and its ability to attract high quality and deserving entries from around the world.
Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis, Chairperson of the Review Committee, commented: "With so many candidates involved in similar activities in renewable energy and sustainability, the fact that we could cluster them and compare apples with apples really made decision-making for the shortlist easier and better-informed. This year we are seeing an increase in the applications and the quality of submissions is as strong as ever.
"The Zayed Future Energy Prize is now becoming a known name globally. The previous awards that we have given to companies and individuals like Vestas and founder of Bright Green Energy Foundation, Dipal Barua have given the Prize much better visibility and credibility", added Sgouridis.
A new development in this year’s Review and Selection Committees and Jury formation is that they all now have an appointed Vice Chairperson. This will help to further enhance the transparency and consistency of the candidate selection process which aims to identify best practices in the global renewable energy and sustainability sector.
Bader Al Lamki, Vice Chairperson of the Review Committee said: "I was very pleased to see that the shortlist features so many Lifetime Achievement award candidates this year. They are instrumental members of the renewable energy and sustainability community as they have made significant contributions in their own right in advancing technology, access to energy or supporting and financing renewable energy projects. Collectively all these initiatives will help reduce the effects of climate change".
The shortlist itself includes a veritable group of candidates from 10 countries representing some of the world’s best initiatives in renewable energy, emissions reduction and energy efficiency. Despite the differences in their expertise and capabilities, one thing the entrants all have in common is their desire and commitment to providing a cleaner and sustainable way of living.
The countries represented by the shortlisted candidates this year are: the United States (19), the UK (1), Germany (4), India (2), Pakistan (1), Brazil (1), Argentina (1), France (2), The Netherlands (1) and Lebanon (1).
The shortlist of 33 candidates will be reduced further down to a minimum of the top 15 finalists by the Selection Committee, which consists of a group of high-level energy experts. Finally a jury of world-renowned leaders and personalities will debate and select the winners and runners-up for each category before the awards ceremony itself is held and the winners announced on January 17th, 2012.
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