Abu Dhabi, April 13, 2026: A $1 million annual peace award has launched its 2027 search for exceptional humanitarian leaders and organizations who promote peace and understanding. The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity which opens 2027 submissions today on it official website zayedaward.org, was inspired by an historic Human Fraternity document signed in 2019 in Abu Dhabi by the late His Holiness Pope Francis 266th Pope of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
Named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity reflects Sheikh Zayed’s moral legacy, humanitarianism, and respect for others, helping them regardless of religion, gender, race, or nationality. The Award honors exceptional individuals for their contribution toward building bridges of understanding and efforts to contribute to peaceful co-existence.
Judge and Secretary General of the award, His excellency, Mohamed Abdelsalam, said: ‘Never could promotion of peace and human fraternity be more important than at this time in our human history. At a time of disunity in the world, opening nominations for our award’s eighth edition feels particularly poignant. ‘
He continued: ‘Our mission to highlight and honour pioneering humanitarian efforts that serve humanity and advance the values of human fraternity worldwide remains ever more urgent and we welcome high-impact initiatives that translate the principles of the historic Document on Human Fraternity into practical programs. We celebrate schemes that create sustainable impact in communities around the globe. We look forward to being inspired by this year’s new nominations of individuals, and entities who are making meaningful contributions to advancing the values of human fraternity globally.’
On February 4, 2026, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity honoured the recipients of its seventh edition during an award ceremony held at the Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi, attended by President of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; His Excellency Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia; and high-level figures from over 40 countries around the world.
The 2026 award was granted to the historic peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Palestinian humanitarian organisation Taawon, and Afghan women’s rights advocate Zarqa Yaftali, in recognition of their contributions to advancing peaceful coexistence, humanitarian aid, and education for all.
Since 2019, the award has recognised 20 honorees from 20 countries for their contributions across a wide range of humanitarian fields, including health, education, sustainability, refugee support, community development, food relief, and empowerment of youth and women, among others.
Nominations can be submitted through the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity’s official website.