The Sustainability Leadership A-List is back for its sixth edition to celebrate individuals who are pushing for change within their organisations and across policy, business and civil society.
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Nominations for the awards are now open and will close on 14 March 2025 before midnight. This year’s edition features two categories, the A-List and the Youth A-List. The latter category, which was introduced in 2020, recognises sustainability practitioners and leaders aged 30 and below.
While past editions of the award have focused on the contributions and work of the nominees over the past 12 months, Eco-Business has decided to broaden the criteria and remove this requirement to acknowledge that new projects do not necessarily bear fruit within a year.
Entries should highlight at least two key projects the nominee has worked on, alongside clear evidence of measurable, real-world impact in the form of changes in policies or business practices, in order to qualify.
Eco-Business invites nominations from individuals based in Asia Pacific, which includes countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia, as well as Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Corinna Chan, chief executive officer of Singapore International Foundation, who sits on the judging panel this year, said clarity of vision and strength in the execution of ideas and projects are some of the key attributes she will be looking for in this year’s nominees.
“Financing, in particular, will always be a challenge, especially in the current political climate, so innovative ways of project financing and rallying stakeholders to support the cause will be important,” Chan told Eco-Business, referencing the geopolitical shifts and climate leadership retreat in the past two months since United States president Donald Trump took office.
Martin Tan, chief executive officer of The Majurity Trust, who will be judging the youth category, said he wants to see how collaborative nominees are with the wider ecosystem, not just domestically within their locale but with the wider regional and global community.
“The world, unfortunately, seems to be moving away from globalisation in the near term, but leaders in the sustainability space need to stand firm to work collaboratively because we cannot tackle climate issues on our own,” he said.
Other judges this year include Winston Chow, co-chair of the United Nation (UN)’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II and professor of urban climate, Singapore Management University; Esther Chang, executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Singapore; Yoosuf Moiz, vice president, Strategic Partnerships, Stewardship Asia Centre; and Naomi Clark-Shen, ocean-climate science lead, Rumah Foundation.
In previous editions of the Sustainability Leadership A-List award, up to 10 winners were selected for each category - the A-List and the Youth A-List. Image: Eco-Business
Last year’s Sustainability Leadership A-List winners included Indigenous Kayan leader Celine Lim from SAVE Rivers, a non-governmental organisation that supports and empowers rural communities to protect their land rights; Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte who banned on the use of plastic, styrofoam, and other non-biodegradable packaging in government buildings in the Philippines following the devastating cyclone Typhoon Ketsana in 2009; as well as Indian start-up founder Vijay Prateik, whose company builds industrial power plants that are more efficient and cost-effective than thermal power plants.
In the Youth category, social media influencer Kong Man Jing, who spreads environmental awareness through educational YouTube videos, and Oh Chu Xian, founder of Singapore-based tech start-up Magorium, which transforms contaminated plastic waste into eco-friendly road construction material, were selected as winners, among several others.
In previous editions of the awards, up to 10 winners were selected for each category.
The judging metrics this year have also been updated and strengthened. The Youth A-List now includes the Business and Civil Society sub-categories to allow for clearer evaluation criteria.
Submit your nominations here if you know someone who is creating an impact through changes in policies or business practices. Nominations will close on 14 March. Read the FAQ guide here.
