Image credit: Apah Benson
From communities on the front lines of environmental degradation to galleries, screens, and stages worldwide, a generation of young artists is turning ecological urgency into art - and the Global Environment Facility wants to hear from them.
When 2025 Earth Partner Prize Winner Apah Benson began documenting environmental degradation and resilience in Nigeria’s Okpara community, he was driven by a simple but urgent question: what kind of world are we inheriting?
"My photography frames reality to reveal truth," Benson said. "In Okpara, I’ve shown both devastation and hope, urging viewers to act. Each image is a plea to protect these resilient communities and our planet before it’s too late."
That mission sits at the heart of the global art competition, which the GEF is joining as a lead partner for the second consecutive year in 2026.
Benson is not alone. The images, films, and performances of past Earth Partner Prize winners – a growing archive of work from across 156 countries – document how a new generation of creatives is responding to environmental challenges through art. Together they show how creative expression can turn abstract environmental threats into something immediate, personal and impossible to ignore.
"Young people react with outrage, but also with creativity," 2022 Earth Partner Prize winner Lizeth Lozano Palomino said. "We are not inheriting a clean planet, but we have the responsibility to transform it. Through my art, I don't want to remain silent. I want to defend life."
The GEF's partnership with Earth Partner is rooted in that spirit. In its current programming cycle, GEF-9, the family of funds is deepening its engagement with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society, women, and youth as leading partners in environmental action. The Earth Partner Prize puts that whole-of-society commitment into practice.
"Young people are essential to confronting the world’s interconnected environmental crises – as leaders, creators, and agents of change," GEF Interim CEO Claude Gascon said. "The Earth Partner Prize gives young artists from all walks of life a platform to be seen and heard around the world. We need those voices today more than ever."
Hosted by Earth Partner, the sustainability platform of Art Partner, the 2026 competition launched on June 5, with submissions open until October 7. The prize is open to artists aged 14 to 30 anywhere in the world, with submissions invited in almost any medium – from photography, to film, performance, spoken word, music, fashion, app development, dance, or new media.
What makes the Earth Partner Prize distinctive is not only the art, but the reflection behind it. In addition to their submission, each artist is asked to write about their hopes and fears for the environment, what they expect from policymakers, and the actions they are taking in response.
The themes are as wide as the challenge itself: climate justice, Indigenous rights, wildlife and biodiversity, waste and pollution, grassroots activism, circularity, and the physical and psychological toll of the environmental crisis.
Eight finalists will receive prizes of $10,000, $5,000, or $2,000, and 20 honorable mentions will also be awarded. A special impact award will recognize the project that best demonstrates a positive effect on communities. Winners will be showcased in a virtual exhibition and at key events over the next year.
Submit your work or learn more about the 2026 Earth Partner Prize.
