GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards
Rewarding inspiring, innovative and scalable locally led efforts to address climate change and build resilience among vulnerable communities
Launched by GCA in 2022, the Local Adaptation Champions Awards spotlight and reward innovative, exemplary, inspiring, and scalable locally led efforts that address the impacts of climate change and build effective climate resilience among the most vulnerable communities, sections of society, and individuals who are at the frontlines of the greatest existential threat faced by humankind.
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Contact information
For more information, please contact:
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Anju Sharma
Lead, Locally Led Adaptation
anju.sharma@gca.org
Key Partner:
Find out more about the winners
About the Award
Award categories
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Inclusive leadership
Interventions in this category are inclusive by design and truly owned by the communities in which they have been implemented. They have been designed, built and managed with and by the people who will benefit from them the most, and have sought contributions from those members of the community who are often excluded from local decision-making processes due to their gender, race, language, ethnicity, religious practices, sexual orientation, disability or any other reason.
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Financial governance
This category focuses on rewarding initiatives whose scope was to design innovative financial mechanisms that allow local communities to access and manage adaptation funds in ways that best fit local needs, priorities, and evolving contexts. The mechanism displays strong flexibility and may build on intergovernmental and public-private partnerships or alliances.
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Knowledge and capacity
Interventions in this category are designed to strengthen local knowledge and skills related to climate change adaptation, climate finance or locally led adaptation principles in ways that enable local actors to autonomously continue building their knowledge and share their skills over time. Interventions which contribute to knowledge sharing and building the evidence case for locally led adaptation can also apply for this category.
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Local innovation
This category rewards local solutions or technologies – physical or digital – that minimize the immediate and long-term impacts of climate change on people in the community, in particular those most vulnerable. The solution presented may be an existing solution creatively applied to climate change adaptation, a solution that was never before used in this context, a completely new idea successfully applied or a combination of all of the above.
Who can enter the competition?
The award is open to any individual, organization or group of partners worldwide, who have implemented or are in the process of implementing climate change adaptation/resilience solutions that follow one of the eight principles for locally led adaptation.
What is the deadline for applying?
The call for applications will be open from 10th June to 10th July 2022.
How does the selection process work?
Applications will be screened against a set of pre-defined criteria after the closing of the call for applications. The top 20 applicants will be nominated for the awards and requested to provide additional information to support their entry. After further screening by a group of locally led adaptation experts, the winners will be selected by the Jury.
Is there a cash prize for winners?
All 20 nominees will benefit from media coverage around their nomination for the awards. Four winners (one per category) will receive a cash prize of €15,000.
Interested and want to find out more?
Review our frequently asked questions and consult your application package here.
Award timeline
- 10th June: Call for applications opens
- 10th July: Call for applications closes. Screening & longlisting starts.
- 1st August: 20 nominees are invited to provide further information
- 6th September: List of nominees published on the GCA website
- 1st to 15th October: Jury selection of winners
- 7th to 18th November: Award ceremony at COP 27 and unveiling of winners
Find out more about the Locally Led Adaptation Program
Locally Led Adaptation
We need to ensure action is locally led, to involve communities in adaptation decision-making and co-creation of solutions, and ensure climate finance reaches communities.
Reporting on Locally Led Adaptation
This training opportunity will offer 12 multimedia journalists a chance to deepen their understanding of the impacts of climate change on the lives of people, and why local leadership is key to developing responses.
Communicating on Locally Led Adaptation
Twelve Locally Led Adaptation practitioners will have the opportunity to train on how to communicate their efforts more effectively.
Locally Led Planning: A Guide for Building Climate Resilience in Urban Informal Settlements
This Guide provides resources for locally-led, inclusive, multisectoral upgrading for climate resilience in urban informal settlements.
Call for Partnerships: GCA Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation
GCA seeks to work with institutions that have experience in successfully promoting and scaling up Locally Led Adaptation.