Green Chemistry Challenge Award

Purpose

To promote the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry.

Description

The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards recognize novel green chemistry technologies that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances, use less energy and water, and improve the sustainability of products while demonstrating economic benefits.

Established in 1996 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, today the American Chemical Society runs the program. 

Learn more about the award’s impact and success stories.

Categories for 2026

New for the 2026 competition, there are ten award categories:

• Focus Area 1: Greener Synthetic Pathway in the Synthesis of Pharmaceuticals
• Focus Area 2: Greener Synthetic Pathway in the Manufacture of Agrochemicals
• Focus Area 3: Greener Synthetic Pathway in the Manufacture of Specialty Chemicals
• Focus Area 4: Product, Chemical, and Process Design for Circularity or Degradability
• Focus Area 5: Design and Manufacture of Materials for Energy Applications
• Focus Area 6: Efficient and Impactful Valorization of Biomass
• Focus Area 7: Design of Safer Chemicals
• Small Business* (for a technology in any of the seven focus areas developed by a small business)
• Climate Change (for a technology in any of the seven focus areas that can prevent or reduce greenhouse gas emissions)
• Academic Award (Fundamental Research that can Enable Real-World Solutions) under one of the seven focus areas

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award, a nominated technology must meet the scope of the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards program by meeting each of these six criteria:

1. It must be a green chemistry technology with a significant chemistry component.
2. It must include source reduction.
3. Its sponsor must be an eligible entity.
4. It must have a significant milestone in its development within the past five years.
5. It must have a significant U.S. component.
6. It must fit within at least one of the seven focus areas of the program.

To learn more about these requirements, please download and read the Nomination Package. 

Deadline

All nominations must be submited in PDF format to gciawards@acs.org by January 31, 2026.

Judging

Nominations will be judged by a panel of technical experts convened by ACS. Nominations will be judged based on how well they meet the selection criteria:

1. Science and Innovation
2. Human Health and Environmental Benefits
3. Applicability and Impact

Notification of Winners

Winners will be notified prior to the official announcement, which will be made in Fall 2026. Winners will be honored in an Awards Ceremony. 

Past Recipients

• 2025 Winners
• Awards from 1996-2017 and 2019-2024 can be found on the EPA's website. 
• 2018 Winners (PDF)