Awards
The 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award Ceremony
An evening honoring three emerging leaders and announcing the laureate of the $100,000 prize
The Ninth Annual Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award ceremony will honor three finalists advancing solutions across conservation, sustainability and human–wildlife coexistence. The winner, who will receive a $100,000 prize, will be announced at UCLA on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The evening will feature finalist spotlights, remarks from UCLA leadership and on-stage recognition for each finalist, followed by presentation of the prize.
Convening leaders across science, policy, philanthropy and culture, the ceremony underscores UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability’s flagship platform for connecting research, technology and practice to improve outcomes for communities and ecosystems worldwide.
About the Finalists
Denica Riadini-Flesch
Founder of the social enterprise SukkhaCitta, Riadini-Flesch is rebuilding the fashion supply chain from the ground up. Partnering with smallholder farmers and rural women across Indonesia, she integrates regenerative farming, natural dyes and cultural heritage into a system that restores ecosystems and creates equitable livelihoods. Her work links soil health to sustainable textiles, reconnecting global markets with local resilience.
Anthony Waddle
A conservation scientist at Macquarie University and a Schmidt Science Fellow, Waddle is pioneering new approaches to amphibian survival in Australia. Once decimated by chytrid fungus, green and golden bell frogs are rebounding under his leadership. From innovative “frog saunas” to vaccine trials and synthetic biology, his work is influencing how the global community tackles wildlife disease.
Seema Lokhandwala
An engineer turned conservation scientist, Lokhandwala leads the Elephant Acoustics Project in Northeast India. By decoding low-frequency elephant communication and building early-warning systems, she helps communities and herds coexist safely. Her work has reduced human and elephant fatalities, maintained genetic diversity and strengthened the cultural ethos of coexistence in one of the world’s most challenging conservation frontiers.
About the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award
Founded in 2017, the Pritzker Award is the first major U.S. prize designed to spotlight next-generation environmental leaders. While the award is grounded in financial support — $100,000 to the winner and $5,000 each to two additional finalists, made possible by the Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation — its influence runs deeper. It offers visibility, community and institutional backing at a time when emerging leaders often work without any of the above.
The 2025 nominees were selected through a competitive global nomination process. Each candidate was put forward by a leader in the field — individuals who themselves have helped shape major environmental strides.
“This opportunity is a reminder of the power of science, education and community leadership in shaping climate solutions,” said Nathalie Flores, who returned as a nominator for the second year in a row.
Following nominations, a committee of experts select three finalists. The winner is then determined by a distinguished panel of judges: Abel Valenzuela, Jr., dean of social sciences and UCLA professor; Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, dean of the Samueli School of Engineering and UCLA professor; Jeanne Holm, chair of the Claremont Graduate University Board of Trustees; Andrew Steer, former CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund; and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Follow UCLA IoES’s social channels for more on the finalists — and their path to the prize.
Note: This is a private, invitation-only event. Venue details will be shared directly with confirmed guests.