Mountain regions are home to some of the world's most pressing environmental and social challenges: climate change, glacier retreat and biodiversity loss, food insecurity, poverty and outmigration. Yet mountain communities, and especially youth and Indigenous Peoples, are also on the frontlines of change: developing innovative, adaptation-led solutions, that build resilience and secure a sustainable future for their regions. 

Each year, in celebration of International Mountain Day on 11 December, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) invites institutions, established organizations and individuals to submit proposals for transformative mountain projects, for a chance to win the Mountain Future Award. 

Proposals are judged by a panel of experts from FAO, the Mountain Partnership and key partners, across three categories: 

- Innovation 

- Adaptation 

- Youth

Winners are announced on International Mountain Day (11 December 2026) and will receive seed funding for project implementation. Past editions of the Mountain Future Award have been made possible thanks to generous sponsors, including the Arjun Gupta Family Foundation, Forte di Bard, Polo Museale - Sapienza University of Rome, and Slow Food Italia.