P.E.A. Awards 2026 shortlist announced
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband joins Kenyan teenager on shortlist for UK’s leading climate awards
A serving cabinet minister will compete for the same recognition as a teenage climate organiser from Kenya at this year’s P.E.A. Awards, in association with OMMM.
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has been shortlisted in the Energy category of the 2026 P.E.A. (People. Environment. Achievement.) Awards — the UK’s leading climate awards — whose full shortlist was announced today (04 June).
“We are pleased also to announce that Edgardo Rossi has also been shortlisted. The Journal of Biophilic Design is publishing a monograph on Preserved Plants with him. The monograph will be published in the Fall,” said Dr Vanesa Champion, Founder and Editor, Journal of Biophilic Design.
Activists & entrepreneurs
Founded by Jarvis Smith, the P.E.A. Awards have spent 16 years spotlighting the people behind the products, services and movements changing the face of the planet — often before the rest of the world catches up. Previous winners include Sir David Attenborough and Juliet Davenport OBE.
This year’s list, timed to coincide with London Climate Action Week (20–28 June), places Westminster decision-makers shoulder to shoulder with the grassroots activists and entrepreneurs delivering change on the ground. That contrast underscores the philosophy of the Awards.
‘You can’t lecture people into changing the world — you have to show them it’s already happening’, said Jarvis Smith, founder of the P.E.A. Awards. ‘What excites me about this year’s shortlist is the range: a Secretary of State and a teenager from Kenya, judged by the same standard — who is actually moving us from awareness to action? Climate progress won’t come from government or grassroots alone. It comes when they’re in the same room. That’s what this list puts on a plate.’
Among the nominees are Pavegen, whose flooring turns footsteps into electricity; ecoSPIRITS, a circular-packaging technology that has been shortlisted in four separate categories and Shanariha Evans of Kenya’s Young Warriors Club, who has been recognised in both Climate Pioneer and Youth categories.
16 categories, 6 continents
Beyond the headline names, the 2026 field stretches from a Norwegian sauna-culture pioneer (Badstuegruppen) to a ‘Mother Earth’school (KAWSAY) in Bolivia and a Times Square artwork created to reclaim Indigenous wisdom.
In the UK, a London library service has been shortlisted for helping a community grow its own food, while NextGenLeaders has been nominated for its work to inspire and empower students to effect change in their communities.
Several nominees appear across multiple categories — a sign, organisers say, of work that refuses to sit in a single box. Lola May of the Paddington Development Trust, with Westminster Libraries’ Eman Asir, features in five, including Best of the Year.
Winners will be announced at the P.E.A. Awards green-carpet ceremony during London Climate Action Week at One Marylebone, London from 18.30 on 22 June.
The 2026 P.E.A. Awards Shortlist
CLIMATE PIONEER
(Sponsored by Salt & Soil)
• Bianca Pitt, SHE Changes Climate
• Danielle Turkov Wilson, Think-Film Impact Production
• ecoSPIRITS Team
• NextGenLeaders Team
• Shanariha Evans, Young Warriors Club Kenya
COMMUNITY
(Sponsored by Sustain Britain)
• B1G1 (BUY1GIVE1 PTE LTD) Team
• Botanicoir Ltd Team
• Karen Harvey, Toiletries Amnesty
• Lola May, Paddington Development Trust, and Eman Asir, Westminster Libraries
CULTURE
(Sponsored by StrategiQ)
• Danielle Turkov Wilson, Think-Film Impact Production
• Rebecca Irby, PEAC Institute
• Ruben Aira Jr, Ruben Aira Jr Art LLC
• Stuart Trevor, Stuart Trevor
ENERGY
(Sponsored by Duracell Energy)
• Pavegen Systems Ltd Team
• Security and Net Zero
• Tenzin Seldon, Pulse Fund
• The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy
EVOLUTION OF SUSTAINABILITY
(Sponsored by OMMM)
• Becks Wheatley, NextGenLeaders
• ecoSPIRITS Team
• Lola May, Paddington Development Trust, and Eman Asir, Westminster Libraries
• Somy Madani, SOMY LONDON
HEALTH & WELLBEING
(Sponsored by Love Peace Harmony Foundation)
• Alfie Ruffell, SPEAK
• Fredrik Lie-Helgesen, Badstuegruppen AS
• Karen Harvey, Toiletries Amnesty
• Maeve Smith, Natural Wisdom
INDIGENOUS
• Dikeledi Motshana, Thusanang Trust
• Leonel Ceruto, KAWSAY School of Mother Earth School
• Ruben Aira Jr, Ruben Aira Jr Art LLC
• Tenzin Seldon, Pulse Fund
INNOVATOR
(Sponsored by Octopus Energy)
• Aaron Ableman, Gaia’s Game Inc
• Corey Boaz, Omega Management Group
• ecoSPIRITS Team
• Nika Brunet Milunovic, Calm Nest Collective
• Robina Suwol, California Safe Schools
NATURE
(Sponsored by World Land Trust)
• Edgardo Rossi, Preserved Plants Design
• Lola May, Paddington Development Trust, and Eman Asir, Westminster Libraries
• Sussex Grazed / We are Tilt Team
SHOPPING
• Maeve Smith, Natural Wisdom
• Sian Colson, Obvs Skincare
• Sussex Grazed / We are Tilt Team
TECHNOLOGY
(Sponsored by Epitome)
• ecoSPIRITS Team
• GoCodeGreen Team
• Terrabyte LLC Team
TRAVEL
• Fredrik Lie-Helgesen, Badstuegruppen AS
• Howard Carter, Howard Ltd (t/a incognito)
• Lola May, Paddington Development Trust and Eman Asir, Westminster Libraries
YOUTH
• Aaron Ableman, Gaia’s Game Inc
• NextGenLeaders Team
• Rebecca Irby, PEAC Institute
• Shanariha Evans, Young Warriors Club Kenya
BEST OF THE YEAR
• B1G1 (BUY1GIVE1 PTE LTD) Team
• NextGenLeaders Team
• Lola May, Paddington Development Trust, and Eman Asir, Westminster Libraries
About the P.E.A. Awards
Now in their 16th year, the P.E.A. (People. Environment. Achievement.) Awards are the UK’s leading sustainability and climate awards, founded by Jarvis Smith. The Awards honour the individuals and teams behind the products, services and businesses that are changing the face of our planet.
Previous winners include Juliet Davenport OBE, Hugo Tagholm, Sir David Attenborough, Polly Higgins and many other amazing Earth ambassadors who are committed to revolutionising old models and systems.
Across sectors ranging from finance and energy to music and art, the P.E.A. Awards identify and celebrate the green heroes who are taking matters into their own hands and providing inspiring alternatives to business as usual. These sustainability pioneers are recognised and rewarded at a glamorous green-carpet event.
More information is at peaawards.com
Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNI_TU3LtK4