Community-guided research
While standout innovations are ultimately recognized through an award on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and at the Zero Project Conference 2027, the nomination and selection processes themselves represent a continuation of an annual community-guided research effort driven by a global network of experts. By identifying, evaluating, and mapping good practices and policies from civil society, business, and the public sector, the Zero Project shares solutions that demonstrate innovation, impact, and scalability.
The record-breaking response comes at a critical juncture, as global inclusion efforts face headwinds from shifting political priorities alongside escalating humanitarian and climate crises. The nomination data from #ZeroCall27 indicates that despite these systemic challenges, cross-border collaboration and disability innovation remain highly resilient.
Independent Living, Political Participation, and AT innovations
The nomination process ran from mid-May to the end of June 2026. In total, the Zero Project received 615 nominations from 94 countries, which is an unprecedented number (the previous record was 586 nominations in 2025/2026).
The nominations covered an array of topics from early childhood intervention, to deinstitutionalization and personal assistance. Solutions related to the topic of Political Participation addressed barriers to access to justice, political leadership, and voting policies among others. AT Innovations cover AI-based tools, orientation systems, and assistive input technologies, to name a few.
Zero Project Arts Awards
Inclusive Arts was a thematic focus in relation to Independent Living this year. 30 nominations from the arts and culture sector were received and will be evaluated in a specialized selection process—including peer review by the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community and an International Arts Experts Panel. Successful nominations will receive a dedicated Zero Project Arts Award 2027.
Global representation: from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe
Nominations originated from 94 countries across all world regions, with Kyrgyzstan represented for the very first time in the Zero Project’s research. This year’s global outreach saw a sharp increase in nominations from Australia, France, India and Türkiye, all of which are now represented in the top 15 countries. India more than doubled its submissions, compared to the previous research cycle.
Reflecting the global outreach of the Zero Project Network, countries from five continents are represented in the top 10, while Australia closely follows in 11th place (with 11 nominations) to represent the sixth continent.
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 of 2027 will be announced on December 3, 2026, and invited to present at the next Zero Project Conference 2027 (#ZeroCon27) at the United Nations Office at Vienna from February 10-12, 2027.