Call for Nominations: World Future Policy Award

Deadline: 31-Oct-2026

The World Future Policy Award recognises outstanding city-level and local policies that use learning and education to create more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban societies. The Award highlights how education and lifelong learning can contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by helping cities address social inclusion, environmental sustainability, digital participation, civic engagement, and community resilience. The programme is particularly interested in policies that create inclusive lifelong and intergenerational learning opportunities, support greener and more sustainable cities, advance digital inclusion, and strengthen civic participation such as participatory budgeting. Policies that incorporate the perspectives of Indigenous and local communities and demonstrate potential for adaptation or replication in other cities and communities are also encouraged. The World Future Policy Award highlights effective public policies that demonstrate how learning and education can contribute to sustainable urban development. The Award focuses on policies implemented at: The core purpose is to identify and recognise policy solutions that use education and learning to help build: The Award also connects local policy innovation with the broader goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The World Future Policy Award recognises city-level and local policies that actively integrate learning and education into strategies for sustainable urban development. Eligible policies should demonstrate how learning can contribute to meaningful urban outcomes.

Examples may include policies that:

The focus is on the policy approach and its contribution to urban development, rather than education as an isolated activity. The programme is particularly interested in several areas where education and learning can support sustainable and inclusive cities. Policies can promote learning opportunities throughout people’s lives. This may include approaches that make education and learning more accessible to different age groups, communities, and populations. Policies that bring different generations together through learning and knowledge exchange are also encouraged. Such approaches can help strengthen community connections and support the sharing of knowledge and experiences. The Award highlights policies that use learning and education to support environmental sustainability. Relevant approaches may help communities understand and participate in: Digital inclusion is another important area of interest. Policies may address unequal access to digital knowledge and opportunities by using learning to help people participate more effectively in an increasingly digital society. The Award also recognises policies that use learning to strengthen people’s participation in local decision-making. This can include approaches such as participatory budgeting, where communities have opportunities to participate in decisions about public resources. Policies that reflect diverse perspectives are encouraged. Particular value is placed on approaches that incorporate the knowledge, experiences, and perspectives of: Including these perspectives can help policies respond more effectively to local needs and create more inclusive approaches to urban development. The Award encourages policies that have potential to be adapted or replicated in other contexts. A policy may have wider relevance when its approach can provide useful lessons for other cities or communities facing similar challenges. Applicants should therefore be able to demonstrate how their policy approach could provide practical learning for other urban areas. Eligibility is focused on city-level and local policies that actively integrate learning and education into sustainable urban development.

Eligible policies should:

The policy should address urban development through an approach in which learning and education play an active role. A relevant policy should go beyond simply providing educational services. The policy should demonstrate how learning and education contribute to broader urban goals, such as: The connection between the learning component and the desired urban outcome should be clearly explained. A strong submission should clearly explain the policy and its contribution to sustainable urban development.

Important areas to highlight include:

The policy description should make the connection between learning, education, and sustainable urban development easy to understand. Policies may be particularly relevant when they combine learning with one or more of the following: These themes reflect the Award’s focus on using learning and education as tools for creating stronger urban societies. Policies may be less aligned with the Award if they: A policy can be presented more effectively by clearly connecting its educational approach to measurable or observable urban outcomes.

Consider highlighting:

Cities face interconnected challenges involving sustainability, social inclusion, digital participation, environmental change, and community resilience. Learning and education can help people understand these challenges, participate in decision-making, develop new skills, and contribute to solutions. The World Future Policy Award highlights policies that demonstrate how education and learning can be integrated into urban development strategies rather than treated as separate policy areas. By recognising effective city-level and local approaches, the Award aims to promote policy solutions that can contribute to more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban societies around the world. The World Future Policy Award recognises outstanding city-level and local policies that use learning and education to promote sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban societies. The Award focuses on city-level and local policies that actively integrate learning and education into sustainable urban development. Key a