At the end of April, the application period closed for the 2025 Global Energy Prize, one of the most prestigious industry awards recognizing major scientific discoveries and technological solutions aimed at the rational use of natural resources and enhancing environmental sustainability in the energy sector. This year, the award received 90 nominations from 44 countries and territories. That’s nearly double the number of participating countries in 2024, when nominees came from just 25.
The largest number of applications came from Russia (15), the United States (11), and China and India (8 each). For the first time in the award’s history, nominees were submitted from Cuba, Palestine, and Thailand. Several countries also returned to the nomination process after a hiatus, including Germany, Austria, Tanzania, Lithuania, Denmark, France, Iran, and Taiwan (China). Although these countries and territories were not represented among the nominees themselves, they made a notable contribution by submitting nominations on behalf of candidates from other states. Latin America, Asia, and Africa were also well represented.
“The Global Energy Prize serves as a driver of progress in the global energy sector and provides a foundation for solving strategic challenges in the fuel and energy industry. Thanks to the Prize, fundamental research is translated into practical application, and talented scientists have the opportunity to present their discoveries on the international stage. This is the main goal of the Global Energy Prize,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
There were 25 applications in the Traditional Energy category, 35 in the Non-Traditional Energy category, and 30 in the New Ways of Energy Application category.
This broad international participation is the result of consistent efforts by the Global Energy Association’s management to promote the prize and actively expand its reach.
“When we announced the start of the 2025 nomination cycle last December, I was confident that we would see more applications from developing countries, particularly from South America, which is a global leader in renewable energy, and from Africa, where there is still significant potential for extracting traditional resources alongside growing demand for off-grid energy systems. Today, that expectation has been met: the geographic scope of participants has expanded, the number of submitted projects has increased, and the quality of scientific solutions from new regions is genuinely impressive. I see this as a strong confirmation of the prize’s international credibility,” said Sergey Brilev, President of the Association.
The close of the application period marks the end of the first stage of the nomination cycle. All submissions will now be evaluated by independent experts according to a fixed set of criteria, including scientific novelty, practical significance, and implementation potential. Based on these evaluations, fifteen nominations will be shortlisted, with five in each of the three categories. The final winners will be selected by the International Award Committee, chaired by Nobel laureate Rae Kwon Chung.
“Each year, the Global Energy Prize reaches an increasingly broad international audience, and 2025 is no exception. This demonstrates that scientific knowledge in the energy field has a unique ability to bring people together, regardless of geopolitical boundaries. All participants, despite differing national and technological approaches, are united by a shared goal: building a sustainable and accessible energy future for all of humanity. I greatly value the quality of the nominations submitted and look forward to the next stage,” said Rae Kwon Chung, reflecting on the results of the first round.
The names of the 2025 Global Energy Prize laureates will be announced in July in the city of Krasnoyarsk. The official awards ceremony will take place during the international forum Russian Energy Week, which will be held in Moscow on 15–17 October 2025. The event is supported by the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, and the Moscow City Government. The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
