Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award 2026

🏔️ About the Award

The Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award aims to foster the development of innovative ideas that contribute to preventing, mitigating, adapting, and reversing the effects of climate change in the Arctic.

🌟 Benefits

The Arctic is warming at nearly four times the global average, making climate solutions urgent and locally grounded. This award:

• Bridges research and action.
• Elevates Indigenous and community knowledge.
• Encourages collaborative climate leadership.
• Promotes scalable Arctic innovations.
• Strengthens global awareness of Arctic climate challenges.

By focusing on implementation-ready ideas, the award ensures that research contributes to measurable environmental impact.

✅ Requirements

Ideas must:

• Be at an early stage of development.
• Demonstrate clear potential for real-world impact.
• Address Arctic climate change directly.
• Be scalable across the Arctic and beyond.
• Clearly define the action being proposed.

Examples of Eligible Ideas:

• Community-led adaptation programs.
• Research-informed mitigation strategies.
• Indigenous knowledge-based climate resilience models.
• Climate monitoring systems with implementation plans.

📋 Evaluation Criteria

All nominations are reviewed by an Award Council composed of leading Arctic experts. Proposals are assessed based on:

• Relevance to the Arctic region.
• Effectiveness in addressing climate change impacts.
• Movement of knowledge into action.
• Feasibility and practicality.
• Potential for scaling or replication.
• Engagement of Arctic residents and Indigenous communities.

Projects that combine scientific rigor with community partnership are strongly favored.

📅 Application Date and Process

Deadline:

30 April, 2026

Submission Process:

Nominations should be submitted using the form found here.

Nomination Materials:

1. Nominee(s) contact information.
2. Nominator(s) contact information, if applicable.
3. Description (1000-word limit or <5-minute video):
   • Include background of the issue and its relevance to the Arctic.
   • Demonstrate how knowledge is put into action.
   • Outline next steps for the idea, feasibility, and potential risks.
4. Resume/CV for nominee(s) (max 2 pages each).
5. Up to 3 letters of support addressing:
   • Impact of the idea on the Arctic and beyond.
   • Qualifications of the nominee(s).
   • How the award would help the idea.
   • Note: If the nomination is not self-nominated, one of the letters should be from the nominator.
6. Optional: Additional information (max 2 pages):
   • Website links, press releases, references/citations, links to videos.

📄 Submission Guidelines

Written Description:

• Submit the description as a PDF to ensure proper formatting.
• Include up to 2 figures with captions (optional).

Video Description:

• Submit the nomination form with all required information.
• Provide a downloadable video link (e.g., Dropbox or Google Drive).
• Videos should be under 5 minutes and can be informal (e.g., cell phone recording, Zoom chat, PowerPoint presentation).
• Videos in languages other than English must include English subtitles.

Note: Nominations must be complete and follow instructions. Incomplete nominations or those that do not adhere to guidelines will not be considered.

🌐 Application Portal

View details of the UArctic Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award here.

Apply for the award using the nomination form here.

📌 Contact Information

For further inquiries, visit the official UArctic website.

📢 Reminder:

Nominations must be submitted by 30 April, 2026.

• Bridges research and action
• Elevates Indigenous and community knowledge
• Encourages collaborative climate leadership
• Promotes scalable Arctic innovations
• Strengthens global awareness of Arctic climate challenges