ASEAN launches Call for Nominations for ASEAN Prize 2026

JAKARTA, 3 March 2026 - ASEAN officially launched the call for nominations for the ASEAN Prize 2026 today.

The ASEAN Prize continues to celebrate and acknowledge the outstanding individuals and organisations across ASEAN, through a regional tribute for their exemplary contributions and significant accomplishments, particularly in advancing ASEAN's identity, strengthening people-engagement, and fostering building of an inclusive, dynamic and outward looking ASEAN Community.

The recipient of the ASEAN Prize 2026 will receive a trophy at a key ASEAN ceremony under the Philippines's Chairmanship, along with a monetary prize of US$20,000, presented by the Temasek Foundation of Singapore.

In its 9th editions, ASEAN invites eligible individuals and organisation to submit a completed ASEAN Prize 2026 nomination form, providing comprehensive details on the nominee's contributions and achievement, and highlighting nominee's future initiatives and plans upon receiving the Prize. Submissions must be made through the National Focal Points (NFPs) of the respective ASEAN Member State, starting from 3 March to 25 May 2026.

Applicants are encouraged to highlight contributions that fall under the following areas:

• Outstanding collaboration between ASEAN Member States (AMSs);
• Outstanding collaboration between ASEAN and the world;
• Outstanding people-to-people engagement among AMSs;
• Outstanding economic integration and promotion of standards between AMSs;
• Other outstanding contributions to ASEAN Community Building;

Nominations must be accompanied by supporting documents that substantiate the nominee's concrete contributions and achievements for the regional development.

A character reference accompanying the supporting documents highlighting the nominee's eligibility would be valuable addition. On the important note, the ASEAN Prize will not consider self-nominations and posthumous submissions.

Chaired by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, the Judging Committee Meeting will convene and undertake rounds of assessments to deliberate this year's Recipient. The Judging Committee for ASEAN Prize 2026 comprises both former and current Secretaries-General of ASEAN.

In 2025, the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC), a youth organisation based in Phnom Penh, was recognised for their meaningful contributions to fostering greater understanding and awareness of ASEAN through a broad range of youth-led and intercultural initiatives within and beyond the region. The UYFC demonstrated exemplary actions in advancing various initiatives that underline the significant roles of youth in the region's development. These contributions are recognised as vital in progressing the ASEAN Community Vision by promoting regional cooperation, strengthening mutual understanding, fostering more cross-cultural collaborations, and facilitating peacebuilding and confidence-building among ASEAN youths and their global partners.

Under Malaysia's Chairmanship last year, Prime Minister of the Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn conferred the ASEAN Prize trophy to the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) at the opening ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur. Since its inauguration in 2018, ASEAN has conferred this regional premier award to a total of four (4) individuals and four (4) organisations, across multifaceted background and expertise. The ASEAN Prize serves as a testament to the region's resolute commitment to celebrate and honor the significant efforts of the individuals and organisations who have made steadfast contributions to the development of a resilient ASEAN Community, demonstrating concrete efforts in fostering regional integration, all the while forging an inclusive and stronger ASEAN identity.

Details on the nomination and eligibility for ASEAN Prize 2026

• Nomination calls start on 3 March 2026.
• The nominee must be an ASEAN citizen or an ASEAN-based organisation.
• The nominee shall submit valid/verifiable documents and highlight his/her achievement and influence on ASEAN since the launch of the ASEAN Community on 31 December 2015.
• The nominee should also share future initiatives detailing how the cited work will continue after winning the Prize.

All nominations must be submitted to the ASEAN Prize National Focal Point by 25 May 2026 at 5 PM, GMT+7 (Jakarta time).

Please submit nominations to your respective National Focal Point, as listed below:

The ASEAN Prize 2026 nomination form can be downloaded from https://asean.org/nomination-form/.

ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967 and constitutes ten Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Viet Nam. On 31 December 2015, the ASEAN Community was formally established. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.