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, NGOs, 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 the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness 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 submit their projects/initiatives under only one of the eight awards.
• Applicants must ensure that the project/initiative is in line with Malta’s Sustainable Development Strategy, where applicable, and yields net social, economic and environmental benefits. Where applicable, project/initiative’s benefits must accrue in the Maltese islands.
• Where applicable, the project/initiative must be either fully implemented and completed or ongoing with significant milestones achieved. All submissions must be based on work commenced in years 2023 and later.
• 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 should be submitted by no later than Friday, 8 August 2025 close of business.
• 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.

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 and include the application form question number (for example Q1, Q2 etc…) the supporting document is linked to in the Application Form at the beginning of the file name.

Applicants are granted up to one week after the closing date or up to one week from date of notification, whichever is the latest, to submit any incorrect or incomplete documents as may be indicated by 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 

1. Documentation clearly demonstrating the project/initiative;
2. Any relevant data;
3. Any financial statements, where relevant;
4. A copy of all applicable permits, where relevant;
5. Any other documentation that may be relevant to the application process.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

Submissions will be assessed by a panel of technical assessors. Assessment will be made according to the below judging criteria. There will be two rounds of assessment. The first round will include the first 3 criteria, listed below. The top 3 nominations under each award will then be shortlisted. Following shortlisting, a public vote (criteria 4) will be taken on the shortlisted nominations.

1. IMPACT (60%)

Successful impact includes measurable results in shifting people’s behaviours and public perceptions and/or influencing public policies and/or budgetary allocations towards the acceleration of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malta’s Sustainable Development Strategic Goals. Successful impact also indicates remarkable improvements in social, economic and environmental conditions including gender equality, health, capacity development, inclusion, economic stability, food security, climate adaptation and/or mitigation, environmental protection, and/or peace.

2. NOVELTY/INNOVATION OF THE APPROACH (15%)

How innovative is this project/initiative? How does the project/initiative build upon a breakthrough idea?

3. SCALABILITY/REPLICABILITY (15%)

How does this project/initiative have the potential to be scaled up and/or be replicated in other contexts to accelerate the achievement of United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malta’s Sustainable Development Strategic Goals? Has it already been scaled up and/or replicated?

4. PUBLIC VOTE (10%)

Each shortlisted nomination will be put on social media and the public will vote on the award they believe deserves to win.

Deadlines

Applications must be submitted by Friday, 8 August 2025 close of business. Any application submitted after this date will not be considered.

Note: Eligibility criteria and evaluation process may be revised by MEEC and awards may not necessarily be awarded every year.

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