The British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai is delighted to announce that the online applications for the 2026 Sustainability & Innovation Awards are OPEN now.
The Sustainability & Innovation Awards is a national awards programme that brings together a world-class panel of industry experts as part of a high-profile platform to recognise excellence in local and international organisations, NGOs, and individuals who are at the forefront of China-based sustainable practices.
Established in 2022 and formerly named ESG China Awards, this award has been retitled ‘Sustainability and Innovation Awards’ in 2025. This year, as the fourth edition, the Awards aim to continue its core focus while incorporating those innovative practices needed to meet the sustainability and social equity demands of our time.
In 2025, it is heartening to see over 140 applications, spanning over 20 cities across China and originating from organisations headquartered in 11 countries worldwide. The online voting platform attracted over 1.5 million votes. This highlights a strong scale and diversity of participation.
Building on this solid foundation and keeping pace with the latest industry trends, this year, the Awards Ceremony will be complemented by a newly introduced Summit, featuring a curated programme of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive conversations.
The zenith of this programme, the Summit and Awards Ceremony itself, is set to take place in Shanghai in June, timed to coincide with the Shanghai International Carbon Neutrality Expo.
If you are doing something significant in the fields of sustainability and social equity in China, we heartily welcome you to consider applying to one (or more) of the eight awards and to make the post of this excellent platform to achieve recognition and exposure for your work.
This year’ s spectrum of categories retains several core awards from previous editions, with updates to refresh their scope and maintain relevance. Three new awards have been introduced this year, delivering a set of eight which is both balanced and addresses the key challenges of today.
Entering the Awards is an excellent way to:
Awards are free to enter and open to Chamber members and non-members alike.
Awards one, two, four, five, six and seven are open to any business, organisation or NGO, whether Chinese or international in origin, with operations in China. Some categories have a limit on the overall timescale of activities. These are specified in the respective award description.
The Outbound Investment Award applies to Chinese companies that have demonstrated outstanding strategy, responsible leadership, and successful practice in expanding overseas.
The Innovation Award is intended for innovative solutions to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges, but not primarily digital technology-driven. Organisations with innovations focused on digital technologies or the integration of digital and green technologies should consider applying to the Green Tech & Digital Innovation Award instead, to ensure their project is assessed in the most relevant category.
The Green Tech & Digital Innovation Award recognises organisations operating in China that have developed and/or implemented innovative solutions with significant environmental benefits by integrating cutting-edge digital technologies—such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and Blockchain—with green technology.
The Partnership Award applies to projects, programmes or initiatives resulting from a tangible exchange of resources between two or more structured organisations, groups or parties.
The Social Impact Award has a dedicated subcategory for Education institutions in China. Their applications will be scored separately to those from business, organisations or NGO’s – resulting in two winners of this category.
The ESG Leader Award is open to individuals of any nationality who can demonstrate direct leading of activities, initiatives or operations in China – whether within a business or managed independently.
Judgment will be conducted by a panel of independent experts for each award. The members of the jury are selected by the organiser on the basis of their expertise in the relevant field.
STEP ONE
Once the entry date closes, applications are reviewed by the appropriate panel, who which will then shortlist five finalists to be announced at the Finalist Announcement Event in April.
STEP TWO
Finalists then progress to an online interview with their respective panel – the results of which will constitute 90% of their final score.
STEP THREE
An online public vote, which takes place for a period of approximately two weeks.
Finally, the votes are collocated, weighted and added to the judges’ scores – resulting in an overall final score and single winner for each category.
Award Category and the Summit & Awards Ceremony sponsorship opportunities are available, providing a range of excellent benefits and wide exposure across the Chinese and international business community.
Please note that sponsorship will not affect the status of an application in any way.
Interested in joining as a sponsor?
Please email:
Stuart.Dunn@britishchambershanghai.cn
Janet.Jiang@britishchambershanghai.cn
It is a perfect time to bring together local and global organisations’ outstanding leaders, and creative individuals – all with the common goal of driving real progress for a better tomorrow.
General Enquiries：
esg@britishchambershanghai.cn
