In order to address the effects of climate change and create effective climate resilience among the most vulnerable communities, segments of society, and individuals who are on the front lines of the greatest existential threat facing humanity, the GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards highlight and reward creative, exemplary, inspiring, and scalable locally led efforts.

Categories of Awards

Food Security - Designed by and for smallholder farmers and vulnerable people along the supply chain, this category honours regional, community-led projects that promote the development, mainstreaming, and uptake of climate-smart food production systems. Under this area, initiatives should show how they help underprivileged, vulnerable, and impoverished people have consistent, equitable, and sustainable access to a variety of nutrient-dense meals.

Urban Adaptation Solutions -

Urban areas' locally driven efforts to adapt to climate change are recognised in this category. Through collaborative design, incorporation into city adaptation plans, and a long-term vision to continuously build adaptive capacity over time, successful initiatives engage and benefit vulnerable urban neighbourhoods, community leaders, and city governments.

Local Entrepreneurship - The following categories honour local, community-based businesses: (1) created or adopted adaptation technologies or solutions that address local vulnerabilities related to climate change and are available locally to the most vulnerable individuals or groups; (2) provided support to local communities and governments in their efforts to adapt; or (3) assisted in addressing structural disparities that disproportionately affect women, youth, children, the disabled, displaced, indigenous peoples, and marginalised ethnic groups, making them more susceptible to the effects of climate change.

Water Security -Local, community-based projects that effectively drain, channel, use, or conserve water are recognised in this category. They also improve local adaptation capacity. Ensuring equitable management of water resources for all requires solutions that are accessible, locally designed, and suited to the needs of the most vulnerable people in the community.

Fundamentals
The following are the eight principles of locally led adaptation:
transferring decision-making authority to the lowest suitable level.
addressing the systemic injustices that women, young people, children, the displaced and disabled, indigenous peoples, and marginalised ethnic groups must contend with.
supplying more readily accessible, patient, and consistent funding.
putting money into regional skills to establish an institutional legacy.
constructing a solid knowledge base about climate risk and uncertainty.
Programming and learning that are flexible.
ensuring accountability and openness.
cooperative effort and financial commitment.

Who is eligible to apply?
Any organisation or alliance operating globally that is putting adaptation/resilience strategies for climate change into practice in accordance with one of the eight Principles of Locally Led Adaptation is eligible to apply for the Awards.