World Soil Day, 5 December

King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award: the winner is...

The 2024 King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award has been presented to the Water and Soil Department of the Ministry of AgricultureJahad of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This recognition highlights the Islamic Republic of Iran's outstanding efforts in organizing and implementing impactful World Soil Day (WSD) celebrations in 2023. The celebrations were held from 3 to 12 December 2023 under the theme “Soil and water: a source of life,” engaged over 11 million people, and included more than 3 300 registered events.

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About the award

The 6th GSP Plenary Assembly endorsed the establishment of the annual  King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award (WSDA), as a recognition tool for individuals and/or institutions that have made an effort to organize successful celebrations in the framework of the World Soil Day campaign of the previous year.

The objective of the WSDA is to encourage organizers of WSD events at all levels to facilitate challenging and outstanding celebrations around the globe.

The Award is sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand, the champion country in the establishment of the now-famous World Soil Day. The UN General Assembly decided in December 2013 to officially designate 5 December as World Soil Day to acknowledge the lifelong work and commitment of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who has significantly contributed to improving the quality of lives of millions through sustainable soil management.

The award consists of a medal, a USD 15 000 cheque, as well as a trip to Thailand (if feasible) to receive the prize. 

Who can apply?

  • The Award may be granted to individuals, institutions, NGOs, academia, colleges and universities, private companies or any other entities;
  • A wide range of WSD events can be considered for the award. The event has to follow the WSD theme of the year and has to take place between 1 - 15 Dec.

The Selection Committee

The  King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award Selection Committee consists of several members: the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils; the Chairperson of the Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly; the Chairs of the eight Regional and Sub-regional Soil Partnerships, a representative from the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and all members of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS). A representative of the GSP Secretariat acts as the secretary of the Committee in non-voting capacity.

How is the World Soil Day Award Laureate selected?

The organizers should take into consideration the following selection criteria: commitment, public engagement and outreach, awareness raising, inter-institutional work, involvement of the press and media, impact at global, regional, national levels, and the inclusion of educational efforts in their planned activities (if possible).

Below is a brief description of the process involved in selecting the World Soil Day Award Laureate.

End of May/June Launch of the WSDA campaign. Organizers can submit the report to the GSP Secretariat (Fill out the call for application 2024) of the WSD event organized in the previous year.

15 September –  The completed nomination forms must reach the GSP Secretariat by post or email no later than the specified deadline. The GSP Secretariat will pre-screen the applications based on the above mentioned selection criteria and prepare a short list of the most qualified nominees.

October Assessment by the Selection Committee. The GSP Secretariat will send the shortlisted nominees to the Selection Committee of the World Soil Day Award for their assessment of the candidates' work and for the final selection of the winner.

November - The name of the World Soil Day Laureate is informed.

December Award of the prize to the World Soil Day Laureate. The Ceremony will take place every year on 5 December in Thailand, during which the WSD Laureate is presented with the World Soil Day Medal, a prize of 15 000 USD and a paid trip to Thailand (if feasible).

Past editions

Edition 2018

Edition 2018

We are pleased to announce that the World Soil Day Award 2018 for the best WSD 2017 event has been granted to...Practical Action Bangladesh!

Jointly with the Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), the NGO Practical Action Bangladesh organized colorful rallies, a ‘Soil Care Award’ ceremony, seminars, ‘Farmers Dialogue’ fora, and field visits in Dhaka and 22 other districts.

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Edition 2019

Edition 2019

ACCS - Costa Rica won the second Award with Manos al suelo 

Manos al suelo/Hands on Soil promoted a massive application of compost, soil conservation practices; a soil fair with workshops and farming demonstrations.  ACCS also pushed for the National Decarbonization Plan and sponsored the National Composting and Waste Recycling Plan with regular fora of discussion and seminars on soil functions and ecosystem benefits. Read more and watch the video.

Edition 2020

Edition 2020

The King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award was conferred to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for its commitment to raising awareness of the importance of healthy soils. Particularly during last year's World Soil Day celebration, which addressed soil erosion under the motto "Stop soil erosion, save our future".  Her Royal Highness, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, will give the award. The ceremony will take place in Bangkok in January 2021 where the Princess will officially offer the prize to ICAR, India.

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Edition 2021

Edition 2021

The Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS) won the 4th King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award

The King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award was conferred to the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS) for its commitment to raising awareness of the importance of healthy soils. Particularly during last year's World Soil Day (WSD) celebration, which addressed soil biodiversity under the motto "Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity". 

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Edition 2022

Edition 2022

Institute of Geology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (IGI-UNAM) won the 5th King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award

The King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award was conferred to the Institute of Geology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (IGI-UNAM)  for its commitment to raising awareness of the importance of healthy soils. Particularly during last year's World Soil Day (WSD) celebration, which addressed soil salinization under the motto "Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity". 

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Edition 2023

Edition 2023

The Soil and Fertilizer Society of Thailand (SFST) won the 6th King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award

The 2023 King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award has been conferred to the Soil and Fertilizer Society of Thailand (SFST) for its exceptional dedication to engaging a wide audience on the importance of soils. In 2022, World Soil Day highlighted the connection between soil, food security, and nutrition under the theme “Soils: Where food begins.”

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