'Climate Oscars' launched at Davos – will award 'transformative impact companies'

The new impact award ceremony takes place later this month, designed to champion the most groundbreaking startups and partnerships tackling global climate and nature challenges. Called the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) Awards, the prizes will be handed out in Davos, Switzerland later in January.

WEF is one of the world’s biggest organisations for public–private cooperation, designed to engage business and political leaders in shaping the global agenda.

The forum says the GAEA awards are designed to recognise the most "groundbreaking partnerships tackling global climate and nature challenges with innovative, scalable solutions”.

Impact Loop has learned that the awards jury received 120 nominations in five new award categories, and has already decided on the winners. But we will have to wait until later in the month to find out who they picked.

The five categories are:

The Breakthrough Scientific Contribution Award, which honours climate and nature initiatives that are pioneering transformative scientific advancements and fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders.

The Impactful Innovation Accelerator Award, which recognises solutions that are helping to create enabling ecosystems for climate and nature innovation.

The Moving Force in Business Award, which recognises sustainable business solutions that have the potential to transform whole sectors, industries or markets.

The Catalytic Philanthropic-Public-Private Partnership Award, which honors scalable, innovative collaborations leveraging the contributions of philanthropy, government and private sector stakeholders.

The Intergenerational Climate and Nature Champion Award, which recognises leaders inspiring systemic impact in support of climate and nature goals.

Impact rockstars on the jury

The global jury of independent experts from the climate and impact sector involved in selecting the winners includes several big names from across Europe.

Swedish scientist Johan Rockström is one of them. The Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research helped develop the now globally-used Planetary Boundaries framework for measuring the impact of climate change.

Another name on the roster is María Mendiluce, CEO of Geneva-based We Mean Business Coalition, which collaborates with climate nonprofit organisations to accelerate the transition to a net zero economy. Philanthropy firm Bank Lombard Odier, which is also based in Switzerland, is represented on the jury by Maximillian Martin, Global Head of Philanthropy.

Strong impact presence at Davos

This year's World Economic Forum Annual Meeting takes place in Davos-Klosters from 20th to 24th January, gathering top global business and political leaders to discuss 2025's overarching theme:

Collaboration for the Intelligent Age. According to the event’s website, topics will include “responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding a just and inclusive energy transition”.

Over 1,600 business leaders are expected to participate. The World Economic Forum says these include more than 100 CEOs and other senior leaders who can be classified as "Global Innovators, Tech Pioneers and Unicorns who are transforming industries".

"The Annual Meeting comes at a moment marked by a greater level of global uncertainty than we have seen in a generation, driven by geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and accelerating climate change,” Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum said in a press release on Tuesday. “Within this more unsettled climate, the only way to address urgent challenges and unlock new opportunities is through innovative, cooperative approaches."