Nairobi, 11 May 2026 — UN-Habitat has officially opened the call for nominations for the 2026 Scroll of Honour Award – one of the world’s most prestigious awards recognizing outstanding contributions to adequate housing and sustainable urban development. Nominations should be submitted by 23 June 2026.
Launched in 1989, the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award recognizes individuals and institutions whose work has contributed to improving the quality of urban life and advancing sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities and communities. The award highlights initiatives that help leave no one behind and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities.
The winners of the 2026 edition will receive their awards at the global observance of World Habitat Day 2026 on Monday, 5 October 2026. This year’s World Habitat Day theme will focus on adequate housing for all, underscoring the urgent need to address the global housing crisis and accelerate action towards safe, affordable, accessible, and adequate housing.
An estimated 2.8 billion people worldwide face some form of housing inadequacy, including nearly 1.1 billion people living in slums and informal settlements. Against this backdrop, the Scroll of Honour Award will recognize initiatives and achievements that contribute to advancing housing solutions and sustainable urbanization in line with the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Related: Meet the winners of the 2025 Scroll of Honour Award
Nomination process and eligibility
Nominations should be submitted through the online submission form in English. Self-nominations, including nominations for one’s own organization, programme, institute, or initiative, are not permitted.
Eligible nominees include individuals, local and regional governments, civil society organizations, research and academic institutions, the private sector, media organizations, multilateral agencies, and other entities working to advance adequate housing and sustainable urban development.
More information on the nomination process and submission requirements is available in the application guidelines.
Selection process
Following the closing date of 23 June 2026, UN-Habitat will conduct an initial review of all submissions to ensure they meet the nomination criteria. Eligible nominations will then be reviewed by a Selection Committee composed of UN-Habitat experts and senior management.
The Selection Committee will recommend up to five winning initiatives to the Executive Director of UN-Habitat for final selection. Winners will be notified from August 2026 onwards and formally recognized during the global observance of World Habitat Day on 5 October 2026.
In selecting the winners, UN-Habitat will consider best practices, initiatives, and achievements contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. Special attention will also be given to initiatives aligned with the 2026 World Habitat Day theme on adequate housing for all.
About the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award
For more than three decades, the Scroll of Honour Award has recognized outstanding urban initiatives and achievements from around the world. Previous winners include Kigali, Habitat for Humanity International, Veolia Environment, and the URBAN Intergroup.
For further inquiries, please contact unhabitat-whd@un.org.