The Climate Change Innovation Award
Climate work is judged here on tonnes, not intentions. This category recognises mitigation, adaptation, clean energy, circularity and waste innovation where the environmental effect can be measured and defended.
- Independent jury
- 250
- Innovations evaluated
- 4,500+
- Star rating
- 1–5
- Running since
- 2010
Academics, scientists, officials, investors
Across seventeen editions
Every nominee earns an AGBA Innovation Star
India’s longest-running innovation award
Three categories sit close to data. This is the one about method and evidence.
Most nominations that fail here fail because they were in the wrong category. Read across before you write anything.
Innovation in Climate Change
Mitigation, adaptation, clean energy and circularity, measured in avoided or removed emissions.
This category
Innovation in EV & Automobile
Vehicles, batteries and charging — the transport half of the transition.
Innovation in Manufacturing
Process and plant engineering, including energy and materials efficiency.
Who should enter
- Clean energy generation, storage and grid integration with operating data
- Emissions measurement, reduction and removal with a stated methodology
- Circular economy, recycling and waste innovation at industrial scale
- Climate adaptation and resilience work with communities or infrastructure
- Materials, process or chemistry work that cut energy or emissions intensity
What this award recognises is a measurable environmental result — tonnes avoided, waste diverted, energy displaced — with the method stated plainly enough to be checked.
If the innovation is a vehicle, battery or charging network, enter Innovation in EV & Automobile. If it sits in the production process, enter Innovation in Manufacturing.
What the jury looks for
- Problem definition & market opportunityWhether the innovation solves a real problem, backed by evidence and a measurable impact on its target audience.
- InnovativenessNovelty and uniqueness — new technology, functionality or business model — measured against what already exists, including IP.
- Market potential & impactSize and growth of the addressable market, competitive landscape, and scalability across geographies.
- Social impact & sustainabilityContribution to society and the environment, including social responsibility and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
These are the same four criteria — problem definition, innovativeness, market impact and social/sustainability impact — used to assess every category. In this category the jury also weighs methodological rigour — including what you did to avoid fooling yourselves — the decision that changed as a result and what it was worth, the reproducibility and honesty of the evaluation, and the engineering quality of the data foundation underneath. Read the full evaluation criteria.
Who judges this category
Nominations are assessed by an independent jury, not by the organisers. Jurors are matched to the categories where their expertise lies. These are among those who read climate, energy and circularity entries.
Dr. Anita GuptaScientist G and Head, Climate, Energy and Sustainable Technology, Department of Science & Technology
Prof. Rangan BanerjeeForbes Marshall Chair Professor, Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay
Dr. Anurag GargChair Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay
Ms. Disha AgarwalSenior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
Mr. John GrimesChief Executive Officer, Smart Energy Council
Prof. Sagar MitraProfessor, Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay
Prof Ashish AggarwalProfessor, Business Sustainability and Public Policy, IIM Lucknow
Mr. Amit BhattManaging Director for India, International Council on Clean TransportationEight of roughly 250. The full panel spans the IITs, the IIMs, the IIITs, the Indian School of Business, NITI Aayog and central ministries, the Department of Science & Technology, MeitY and CERT-In. See the full jury panel.
The transition on the podium
Climate and waste have been recognised as separate awards in recent editions. These are among the most recent winners, photographed at the ceremony.
Previous winners
Climate and waste management have run as neighbouring categories across recent editions; the rows below carry the name each award had that year. The complete record sits in the winners archive.
Category names have changed across editions as the field has moved; the rows above are the closest equivalents in the published record. See the winners archive for the full 1st–16th edition history.
What happens after you submit
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Stage one · nowNomination registration
Register your company and category through the nomination process, then complete the detailed nomination form and processing fee.
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Stage twoJury presentation
Present the innovation to the jury and take questions. Jurors score each entry against the four evaluation criteria and rank it within its category.
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Stage threeStar Certification
Nominees are also assessed for AGBA Innovation Star Certification, an independent maturity rating alongside the category judging.
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Stage fourFinalists announced
Once every category has been evaluated, finalists are announced on the website ahead of the ceremony.
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Stage fiveAward ceremony
Winners are honoured on 18 February 2027 at Hotel Ashoka, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
Before you write your nomination
Do we have to quantify emissions?
Yes, and the method matters as much as the number. State the boundary, the baseline and who verified it.
Is waste and recycling work read here?
Yes. Circularity, recycling and waste innovation are read in this category alongside energy and emissions work.
Is adaptation eligible, or only mitigation?
Both. Resilience and adaptation work with communities, agriculture or infrastructure is welcome, judged on who is measurably better protected.
How do I submit a nomination?
Nominations are submitted through the nomination process, which sets out the stages, the supporting material required and the current edition’s dates.
Put your numbers in front of the panel
Nominations for the Climate Change Innovation Award are read by an independent jury of scientists, energy specialists and policy people. Bring the measurement method with the result.