Nominees confirmed for 2025 UIAA Mountain Protection Award
A total of 20 projects operational in 19 different countries have been nominated for the 2025 UIAA Mountain Protection Award, partnered by Lenovo.
As of 2025, the MPA functions on a two-year cycle with one year being an adjudication and award year; with the alternate year having a focus on community building and associated knowledge sharing.
The 20 nominated projects, drawn from a total of 24 applications, will be showcased on the UIAA website and social media channels over the coming weeks and months. The online showcase will be available to view here.
Projects include five applications which come directly from UIAA member associations, two former Award winners in Mountain Wilderness (France) and Gear Tips (Brazil) as well as from the Kilian Jornet Foundation, an initiative recently profiled in a Mountain Voices podcast episode. The spread per continent is as follows Africa (3 projects), Asia (3), Europe (9), North America (1) and South America (4).
The UIAA MPA Assessment Team is currently evaluating all nominees. Two main prizes are on offer this year:
Overall Winner: receiving EUR 8,000 prize money, communication amplification through UIAA partners, a certificate of recognition, a trophy, an invitation and paid trip to the dedicated award ceremony, the MPA winner logo as well as international communication on all UIAA platforms.
Best New Initiative: receiving EUR 2,000 prize money, a certificate of recognition, the MPA Best New Initiative logo, international communication on all UIAA platforms and most importantly benefitting from an expert review and advice to further develop the concept and support its implementation.
”The Mountain Protection Commission has been delighted to receive such a strong array of applications for the 2025 edition of the Mountain Protection Award. Entries have arrived from around the globe covering projects that amplify climate change and overall sustainability in mountain sports and terrains. The strong team of assessors has been adjudicating, and now I wish to extend my congratulations to all the nominees. We are delighted to have you join the MPA network! This bi-annual award is made possible through the generous support of Lenovo. Together, we look forward to acknowledging the overall winner and the best new initiative later in the year.”
Jeannette McGill, MPA Chair
The winners will first be announced at the 2025 UIAA General Assembly in Kosovo. The Overall Winner will officially be crowned at a dedicated award ceremony on 23-24 October 2026 at the Alpine Museum in Bern, Switzerland. The award ceremony will be held jointly with the King Albert Memorial Foundation which biennially celebrates “persons or institutions who have rendered exceptional, sustainable services in connection with the mountains of the world.
2026 will be dedicated to MPA community building drawn from some ideas coming from 2025 applicants as well as past winners and applicants. Based on feedback received over the years of administering the Mountain Protection Award, the UIAA is particularly keen on creating lasting relationships, knowledge-sharing opportunities and engagement opportunities with members of the MPA network.
MPA nominees are assessed by an international team of experts drawn from a variety of fields including sustainable mountain tourism, environmental research, mountain guides, geography, geology as well as climbers and mountaineers.
List of 2025 MPA Nominated Projects
| Organisation | Country | Project Name |
| Club Andino Bariloche | Argentina | Clean and Green Mountains Project |
| Mountain Invasion Research Network | Belgium/
The Netherlands |
MIREN Rocks |
| Gear Tips Outdoor | Brazil | Gear Tips Empowerment Program |
| Hossein Rasaei | Canada | Abbot Pass – Climate Heritage Project |
| Madrugada NGO’s | Chile | Transhumant Trails: Arriero Heritage Mapping |
| Fédération française des clubs alpins et de montagne | France | Flagship Shelters for the Environment |
| Mountain Wilderness France | France | Change Your Approach |
| Abolfazl Zamani (individual) | Iran | A Noble Horse That Limps |
| Guardian Giripremi Institute of Mountaineering | India | Diploma in Mountaineering |
| Mountaineering Ireland | Ireland | The Blanket Bog Buddies’ |
| Department of Management “Valter Cantino”, University of Torino | Italy | SciAlp – Economic and environmental sustainability of the micro-ski resorts in time of climate change |
| UB Hiking Club | Mongolia | Clean Ovoo |
| Asociación 7a Escalada | Peru | Guardians of the Valley |
| Alpine Association of Slovenia and Zavarovalnica Triglav | Slovenia | Best mountain trail |
| Beyond Expectation Environmental Project | South Africa | Beyond Expectation Environmental Project |
| Mountain Club of South Africa | South Africa | Walking the Tra Tra |
| Kilian Jornet Foundation | Spain | Alpine Connections |
| Association Mountain Synergies | Switzerland | Waste Management Manual for Sustainable Mountaineering Expeditions |
| Agency for Rural and Urban Development | Uganda | Rwenzori Climate-Resilient Mountain Hut Project. |
| British Mountaineering Council | UK | Yr Wyddfa Big Clean Up |
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