Glinka World Soil Prize 2025: Call for nominations is now open! Deadline: 01 September 2025
The entries for the Glinka World Soil Prize are officially open.
The nomination is available to all—individuals or organizations. The Glinka honors individuals and organizations whose leadership and activities have contributed or are still contributing to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources. The Glinka World Soil Prize is named after Konstantin Glinka, an eminent Russian soil scientist known for his work on the geographical distribution of soils. The prize honors distinguished individuals or organizations that promote sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources, which have a direct impact on people’s well-being. It aims to encourage interested stakeholders and soil practitioners to engage in field-oriented work, with direct contributions to food security, the preservation of the environment, and poverty alleviation.
The selected nominees are dynamic change-makers dedicated to solving one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues: soil degradation. FAO members or their GSP focal points are invited to nominate candidates. Self-nominations and nominations by individuals are not accepted. All submissions are pre-screened and shortlisted by the GSP Secretariat, with the final selection overseen by the selection committee (click here for the revised rules of procedure of the Glinka World Soil Prize).
The Glinka World Soil Prize awards individuals annually under the auspices of the FAO Global Soil Partnership. The official ceremony will be held on World Soil Day (WSD), 5 December 2025. The award consists of a USD 15 000 check, a Glinka gold-plated medal, and an invitation to the award ceremony during WSD. If you wish to submit a nomination, please complete the nomination form by 01 September 2025.
The Glinka World Soil Prize, launched in 2016, rewards eligible candidates who contribute to raise awareness and bring possible solutions to confront acute problems of soil degradation. It encourages and recognizes field-oriented work directly contributing to preserving soils and increase food security.
In 2024, the Land Development Department (LDD) of Thailand was honored with the Prize. Regionally and globally, LDD promoted soil health, emphasizing its importance in food security and climate resilience. Its dedication served as an inspiration for sustainable soil management worldwide. Former winners of the Glinka World Soil Prize include Instituto Geografico Augustin Codazzi (IGAC) in 2016, Argentine No Till Farmers Association (Aapresid) in 2017, Dr Rattan Lal in 2018, Dr Xu Minggang in 2019, Mr Luca Montanarella in 2020, Dr Lydie-Stella Koutika in 2021, Dr Ashok Kumar Patra from ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science (IISS) in 2022, and Professor Ravi Naidu in 2023.
The Glinka World Soil Prize is supported by the Russian Federation.
Download the Glinka World Soil Prize brochure for more information.