The
Frontiers Planet Prize was established in 2022 by the
Frontiers Research Foundation based in Switzerland. The prize is awarded to researchers from countries across the globe who have published breakthrough research which offer potential solutions for helping humanity remain within the boundaries of the Earth’s ecosystem. Each year, tens of research institutions around the world nominate candidates whose research has shown exceptional potential in this area to compete for the prize.
The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities serves as Israel’s Representative National Body for the prize. Each year, the Academy assembles a designated selection committee, headed by Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor, which is responsible for evaluating the nominees from Israeli research institutions and puts forward three candidates to compete internationally for the Frontiers Planet Prize.
The Frontiers Research Foundation considers the Israel Academy a partner in advancing the field of sustainability science and invites representatives of the Israel Academy to participate in conferences and think tanks with leading researchers in the field.
The international Jury of 100 of the Frontiers Planet Prize conducts evaluations from December- June. During this period candidates are evaluated in two stages: first identifying national champions and then selecting three international champions. The prize for the international champions is one million dollars to support their research.
Israeli Winners of the Frontiers Foundation's Planet Prize:
- Dr. Alon Shepon from Tel Aviv University, national champion in 2026
- Dr. Uria Alcolombri from the Hebrew University, national champion in 2025
- Prof. Jonathan Belmaker from Tel Aviv University, national champion in 2023
For further details contact Meira Brandwein, Manager of Special Projects at
meira@academy.ac.il.
Dr. Alon Shepon from the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University has been selected as Israel's National Champion in the prestigious 2026 Frontiers Planet Prize competition.
In a paper published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Shepon, together with Tamar Makov and Zhongxiao Sun, revealed a surprising finding: sugar, a product we are accustomed to thinking about solely in the context of health - diabetes, obesity, and chronic diseases - is in fact one of the most significant and overlooked environmental factors in the world.
The study found that sugarcane and sugar beet account for a quarter of all global agricultural output by weight, and their cultivation requires vast areas of land, large quantities of water, fertilizers, and energy - all for a product of low nutritional value. Yet the central finding of the study is actually optimistic: relatively modest changes in global sugar consumption patterns can yield particularly significant environmental and social gains. The freed-up land could be used to grow more nutritious food or to restore natural habitats, while surplus sugar could be redirected to alternative uses such as the production of bioplastics, biofuel, or protein.
These findings change the prevailing understanding of the relationship between diet and the environment, and offer a practical and overlooked starting point for reducing pressures on Earth's systems - climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater depletion, land-use change, and biogeochemical flows. The research shows that sustainability is not only a matter of technological innovation, but also of reallocating agricultural resources in light of actual nutritional needs and ecological boundaries.
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Click here to read the full paper in PNAS
Dr. Uria Alcolombri from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been selected as the Israeli winner in the first stage of the prestigious 2025 Frontiers Planet Prize competition.
In his paper published in the journal Science, Dr. Alcolombri revealed that tiny ocean bacteria play a crucial role in regulating climate. The research discovered that these bacteria break down organic materials in different ways and influence each other, which affects the amount of carbon trapped in the ocean and impacts the global climate.
These findings change our understanding of carbon storage in oceans and will help improve climate models and develop strategies for preserving marine ecosystems. The research is the result of international collaboration combining innovative techniques to study marine microorganisms.
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Click here to read the full article in Science