Zero Project Awards 2026

Every year, the Zero Project invites practitioners, policymakers, business leaders, and other experts from around the world—regardless of sector, organization size, or country—to nominate innovative solutions for the Zero Project Awards. The shared mission is to advance the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Zero Project is delighted to announce and share the Zero Project Awardees of 2026: 75 innovative solutions from 51 countries. In addition, 7 inclusive arts initiatives become the first cohort of designated Zero Project Arts Awardees. 

The Zero Project's research is guided by three main criteria: innovation, impact, and scalability. With its vast global and cross-sectoral network, the Zero Project organizes an extensive multi-step selection proces: This year 586 nominations from 93 countries had been submitted for the Zero Project Awards. From July to October 2025, the selection process amounted to more than 350 hours of review and the involvement of more than 400 experts with and without disabilities from around the world.

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From wheelchair innovations to improving access to healthcare services, and from avatars facilitating communication access to innovative public-sector policies; from women-centred crisis-response efforts to accessibility standards, and from haptics for independent navigation to inclusive parks and public spaces – the 2026 Awardees offer a wide variety of scalable solutions to remove barriers for persons with disabilities.

Discover all Awardees

The specialized selection process drew from the pool of nominations related to accessibility for and in the arts. The selection process included a peer-review round conducted by members of the cross-sectoral Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community. From 48 inclusive arts nominations, 13 innovations were shortlisted and further evaluated by a designated International Arts Experts Panel.

Seven initiatives – ranging from an accessible museum to inclusive circus performances and multisensory festivals to name a few – successfully demonstrated their innovation, impact, and scalability, and will be recognized as first cohort of designated Zero Project Arts Awardees at the Zero Project Conference 2026.

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Awardees receive the opportunity to showcase their innovative work at the Zero Project Conference 2026 and receive dedicated space in the annual Zero Project Report that will be shared online and in print with disability inclusion experts globally. 

In collaboration with partner organizations, the Zero Project operates initiatives and regionalised activities to enhance the Awardees’ impact, such as the Zero Project Scaling Solutions Programme, the Zero Project Technology Forum, and the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community.

The Zero Project Conference 2026 – #ZeroCon26 – is an invitation-only event and held at the United Nations Office at Vienna from February 18-20, 2026. 

More than 1,000 participants from around 100 countries are expected to attend the conference in person, with many more joining online for livestreamed sessions, and on-demand content.

Learn more about #ZeroCon26