DiCaprio, Nasheed join Zayed Future Energy Prize jury
Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed and Oscar-award-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio are among the new members of the jury for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, which recognizes innovation, leadership, long-term vision and impact in renewable energy and sustainability.
Other new jury members include:
- Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, Minister of Energy for South Africa
- Timothy Wirth, president of the UN Foundation and Better World Fund
- Andre Agassi, founder of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and Grand Slam Tennis Champion
- Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation
The new jury members will join continuing members: Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grímsson; HE Ahmed Al Sayegh, chairman of the renewable energy company Masdar; and Susan Hockfield, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The jury will convene later this year as the final judging panel in a four-tiered open process to select the prize winners and finalists who will be honoured in an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17, 2012.
The Zayed Future Energy Prize was created to honor the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the United Arab Emirates and a champion of environmental stewardship. Managed by the renewable energy company Masdar on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, the annual award this year offers a total of $4 million in prize money.
