Stage time
Winners are announced in front of a full conference room of executives, partners and investors, with photography and press coverage from each edition.
ESGNext Awards
ESGNext Awards
Honouring the people feeding the future
The ESGNext Awards recognise the companies, projects, products and leaders moving sustainability, social impact and governance forward — from strategy to measurable outcomes. Winners are announced live on stage at every ESGNext edition, in front of the operators, investors and press who matter.
- 20+
- Award categories
- 3
- Global gala nights
- 100%
- Independent jury scoring
Why enter
Recognition that travels further than a trophy
Credible benchmark
Entries are scored by independent agronomists and industry practitioners against published criteria — no pay-to-win categories.
Buyer trust
A shortlist badge is a shortcut to credibility in distributor, retailer and government procurement conversations.
Team morale
Public recognition for the agronomists, engineers and field teams who did the work.
The categories
Twenty ways to be recognised
Enter as many categories as genuinely apply. Each entry is judged on its own merits by the jury panel assigned to that category.
Organisations
- ESG Company of the Year
- Most Innovative Climate-Tech Startup
- Sustainable Enterprise of the Year
- Best ESG Research Institution
Products & platforms
- Best Carbon Management Solution
- Best ESG Reporting & Data Platform
- Best Irrigation & Water Management Technology
- Best Clean Energy Solution
- Best Sustainable Supply Chain Platform
- Best Livestock & Aquaculture Innovation
People
- ESG Leader of the Year
- Chief Sustainability Officer of the Year
- Agronomist of the Year
- Young Sustainability Changemaker (under 30)
- Women in Sustainability Award
Impact
- Net Zero Transition Award
- Community & Social Impact Award
- Best Sustainability Training & Upskilling Programme
How entries are judged
Four criteria, equally weighted
Real-world impact
Documented outcomes — emissions cut, energy saved, cost avoided or people impacted — not roadmaps or pledges.
Technical originality
How novel the approach is, and how well it stands up against readily available alternatives.
Scale & adoption
Depth of deployment: sites covered, people reached and the durability of the results.
Responsibility
Environmental stewardship, transparency, data handling and fair treatment of workers baked into the delivery.
The process
From nomination to the gala night
- Step 1
Nominations open
Submit your entry online — self-nominations and third-party nominations both welcome.
- Step 2
Shortlisting
Entries are screened for eligibility and scored against the published criteria.
- Step 3
Jury review
An independent panel of practitioners, researchers and operators scores every shortlisted entry.
- Step 4
Winners revealed
Trophies are presented live on stage at the gala night of each ESGNext edition.
Entries are open
Put your work in front of the jury
Pick the edition you want to compete in, then complete your nomination on the Next Business Media portal. Sponsors and jury applications go through the same flow.