Premios Verdes

What Premios Verdes does

Premios Verdes is a private non-profit organization that operates the most prominent social and environmental awards movement in Latin America and the Caribbean, founded in 2013 by Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Bianca Dager, and José Javier Guarderas. The organization runs an annual program structured as a five-stage pipeline: open call for submissions (March 1 to April 30), selection of the Top 500 ranking (June), acceleration and capacity-building programs including Green Flash and Green Booster (April to October), country chapter events, and a global Sustainability Week and awards ceremony (October 19-22 in Cuenca for the 2026 edition). Participation is free for project applicants, and the platform supports entries from sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, circular economy, water, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, human development, resilient cities, green tech, and sustainable finance categories.

The core technology is a digital registration and evaluation platform at premioslatinoamericaverde.org, supported by an AI-assisted feedback system that supplements reviews from 300 volunteer environmental experts on the Technical Commission. Additional products include the Ranking 500 Mejores, Acceleration Programs (Green Flash, Green Booster), a Virtual Gallery, special recognition awards (ILLARIY, SDG via PAGE, Tech for Good, Scalability Award worth $20,000), and country chapters in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. The annual Sustainability Week event combines talks, workshops, networking, and a green-carpet ceremony.

Revenue is generated through a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Global, Main, Local, Talk, and Custom Partner tiers) and donations processed via Green Awards Inc. (greenawardsinc.org). The organization operates with 11-50 employees across a Cuenca headquarters, a Guayaquil founding office, a Miami US office, and country chapters. Strategic alliances span UN agencies (UNDP, UNEP), conservation organizations (WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International), financial institutions (IFC, Bancolombia, Green Climate Fund), academic and media partners (EARTH University, National Geographic, DIRECTV, AT&T), and the CC35 Capital Cities Climate Alliance. A 10-year impact study by PwC (2013-2023) reports that 71% of participating projects survive beyond two years (compared to an 85% failure rate before Premios Verdes), 64% achieve greater visibility, 47% improve their processes, and 36% access financing.

Name

Premios Verdes

Legal name

Premios Verdes

Website

https://www.premiosverdes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Premios Verdes is a Latin American non-profit that runs an annual awards platform ranking the top 500 sustainable projects in the region and delivering mentorship, acceleration, and networking through free participation funded by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Awards Program

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Sustainability awards program
• Environmental recognition platform
• Social impact awards
• SDG-aligned competition
• Green innovation awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Cuenca

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies sponsor the event through various tiers: Global Partner, Main Partner, Local Partner, Talk Partner, and Custom Partner. Sponsors gain visibility, networking opportunities with change makers, and association with sustainability values.
2. Donations: Accepts donations through Green Awards Inc. (greenawardsinc.org) to support operations and scholarship programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Premios Verdes runs an annual Latin American awards and recognition platform that identifies, ranks, and amplifies the top 500 social and environmental projects across 10 SDG-aligned categories, supplemented by acceleration programs (Green Flash, Green Booster), special awards (ILLARIY, SDG, Tech for Good, Scalability), and the annual Sustainability Week global event. The program is free for participating projects and is delivered through a digital registration portal combined with country chapters in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.

Product overview

Premios Verdes is a movement and annual awards program that operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the Ranking 500 Mejores, which identifies and ranks the top 500 social and environmental projects in Latin America through an annual application process. This is complemented by the main Awards Program with category-specific recognitions and special awards (ILLARIY, SDG, Tech for Good). Additional modules include Acceleration Programs (Green Flash, Green Booster) providing mentorship and strategic training, the Virtual Gallery for project visibility, Country Chapters expanding the network locally, and the annual Sustainability Week event featuring the award ceremony. The platform also includes an Online Registration Portal for project submissions. Together, these components create an ecosystem supporting the full lifecycle of sustainable projects from visibility to acceleration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% of projects survived more than 2 years (vs. 85% failure rate before Premios Verdes)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• PNUD (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Development Programme serves as jury member and provides institutional credibility. UNDP promotes change and connects people to knowledge and resources. Present in 178 countries. Representatives participate in technical evaluation and award ceremonies.
• PNUMA (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Environment Programme serves as international jury member. UNEP has been the global authority setting environmental agenda since 1972, promoting coherent implementation of sustainable development within UN system.
• WWF (World Wildlife Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest independent conservation organization serves as international jury. WWF works to conserve biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of natural resources, and reduce pollution. Has 5 million members and operates in 100+ countries.
• National GeographiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as international jury member providing media visibility and credibility. National Geographic's global reach amplifies the impact of award recognition.
• IFC (International Finance Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of World Bank Group, serves as international jury providing financing expertise and connections to investment opportunities for winning projects.
• IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides special award for sustainable agriculture and food production category. Organizes bootcamp for 10 winning projects to strengthen knowledge and share experiences.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as international jury member bringing conservation expertise and global network to evaluate environmental projects.
• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as international jury member providing scientific expertise in ecosystem conservation and biodiversity.
• BancolombiastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Colombian financial institution serves as international jury member and potential financing partner for regional projects.
• PAGE (Partnership for Action on Green Economy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations alliance provides special SDG award, granting winning project opportunity to present at UN Convention. Part of broader 10-year collaboration including impact studies.
• CC35 (Capital Cities Climate Alliance)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccelerates commitment of Capital Cities of the Americas to address climate emergency. Established under hemisphere heads of government for regional climate integration through local diplomacy.
• PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts independent impact studies evaluating the effectiveness of PV and its projects on the community. Has published multiple 10-year impact reports.
• EARTH UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as international jury member bringing academic and agricultural expertise to evaluate sustainable farming and food production projects.
• Green Climate FundstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as jury member providing access to climate finance mechanisms for qualifying projects.
• AT&TminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing technology and connectivity support for the award program.
• DIRECTVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing content distribution and streaming capabilities for event coverage.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global network that identifies, connects, and supports leading social entrepreneurs ("changemakers") across geographies. Highly comparable to Premios Verdes in mission (surface and back social/environmental change agents), curation model (selection of top fellows), and lifelong community engagement.
• Echoing Green: Fellowship and leadership network for emerging social entrepreneurs, providing seed funding, mentorship, and a lifelong peer community. Closely comparable to Premios Verdes in the identify-select-accelerate pipeline and the emphasis on a curated changemaker network rather than just an award.
• Socialab: Latin American social innovation platform running open calls, acceleration programs, and corporate partnerships for impact ventures in the region. Direct regional peer to Premios Verdes with overlapping target audience (LATAM social/environmental projects) and similar platform-plus-acceleration model.
• Hult Prize: Global student-led social entrepreneurship competition and accelerator awarding a $1M USD prize annually. Comparable as a high-profile social impact competition with global reach, mentorship pipelines, and corporate/UN partners — though focused on student founders rather than Latin American projects.
• One Young World: Global platform identifying, connecting, and elevating young leaders through summits, ambassadorships, and corporate partnerships. Comparable in mission (identify and amplify changemakers), event-driven model (annual summit), and corporate sponsorship revenue mix.
• SEAL Awards: Sustainability, Environmental Achievement, and Leadership awards organization recognizing companies and initiatives for environmental impact. Most direct awards-format peer, with similar recognition + visibility + corporate sponsorship architecture, though US/global rather than LATAM focus.
• Seedstars: Emerging-markets startup competition and growth platform running local-to-global competitions, acceleration programs, and corporate partnerships. Comparable in identify-amplify-connect model for impact-driven startups, especially across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with similar free-to-apply funnel and event-driven GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: Long-established global platform under the World Economic Forum umbrella that recognizes and networks social entrepreneurs, with annual awards and convenings. Comparable in the award + network + visibility mechanic, but operates at a broader, more global scale and with deeper institutional backing.
• Skoll Foundation: Major philanthropy that funds and recognizes leading social entrepreneurs through the Skoll Awards and Skoll World Forum. Comparable in identifying and amplifying high-impact social/environmental projects, but with substantially larger capital deployment and a global rather than Latin American focus.

Others

• Green Climate Fund: Multilateral climate finance fund that serves as a jury/strategic partner for Premios Verdes. Comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than competitor: it channels capital to qualifying sustainability projects surfaced through the platform, making it both a credibility partner and a downstream financing exit for top-ranked projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/premiosverdes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmBYsODIa_R81pxoMkucD8Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/PremiosVerdes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premios-latinoam%C3%A9rica-verde
• Instagraminstagram.com/premiosverdes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Premios Verdes