Innovation, Impact, and Scalability
The #ZeroCall26 nomination process, which ran from mid-May to the end of June 2025, set out to identify outstanding solutions in terms of innovation, impact and scalability. The Zero Project research covers nominations from civil society, the public sector, the business sector, and the interdisciplinary ICT sector.
In total, the Zero Project received 586 nominations from 93 countries, which is an unprecedented number (the previous record was 523 nominations in 2023/2024).
This year’s call for nominations saw a large number of organizations from around the world engaging with the Zero Project for the first time—a sign that the network continues to expand across all sectors of society and that there is a persistent demand for transnational collaboration to advance innovation in disability inclusion.
Accessibility, ICT, and Crisis Response
The nominations on the topic of Accessibility covered an array of topics from built environment and access to healthcare, to inclusive arts, accessible services and products.
ICT nominations also included a range of different solutions, for instance, AI-powered tools, orientation systems, assistive input technologies, and robotics.
Nominations on the topic of Crisis Response addressed diverse fields, such as disability-inclusive climate action and humanitarian assistance. Crisis Response was addressed as a distinct research topic for the first time. This reflects current global developments and the significance of the topic for disability inclusion—a point emphasized by numerous experts from the Zero Project Network in recent years.
In alignment with the growing momentum of the Zero Project Inclusive Arts initiative, a designated cohort of Zero Project Arts Awardees will be recognised in a selection process led by Isabella Essl, Head of Zero Project Inclusive Arts. The Awardees will emerge from the pool of #ZeroCall26 nominations relating to Accessibility for and in the arts. The selection process involves a peer-review round by members of the cross-sectoral Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community, and evaluation by an International Arts Experts Panel.
Next steps in the selection process
The Zero Project Team, alongside its close partners and peer-review network, is currently shortlisting nominations. Each submission is evaluated on three key criteria: innovation, impact, and scalability. Around 150 nominations will make it to the shortlist and approximately 75 will become Zero Project Awardees.
The Zero Project Awardees 2026 will be announced on December 3, 2025, and invited to present at the next Zero Project Conference (#ZeroCon26) at the United Nations Office at Vienna from February 18-20, 2026.
Learn more about the #ZeroCall26 nominations
For a more detailed breakdown of nominations and countries, as well as for more information about the call for nomination in general, please download the official press release in accessible PDF format: