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The Buonamico Award, the highest honour of the ERA Awards night, is inspired by Giovanni Francesco Buonamico, a 17th-century Maltese traveller, poet, writer, doctor, and naturalist.

Renowned for composing the second-oldest poem in Maltese, Mejju ġie bil-ward u ż-żahar, Buonamico made significant contributions to Malta’s natural history. His 1670 manuscript, Brevis Notitia, documents 244 species of wild flora, marking a milestone in local botanical studies. Though unpublished in his time and largely overlooked for centuries, his work has recently gained due recognition.

The Buonamico Award honours individuals whose contributions to the environment may have been similarly underappreciated, recognising those who, like Buonamico, leave a lasting legacy in environmental conservation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nominees should be residents of Malta.
• Nominees should not be informed that they are being nominated for such award.
• Nominee should not be awardees of the previous Buonamico Awards.
• Nominees should not be currently employed by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) or the Ministry responsible for the environment, or be members of their immediate families (partner, parents, children and siblings).

Award Criteria

• Through his/her own initiatives, work or research the nominee left a positive impact on the sector.
• The nominee’s actions and achievements benefited the environment or resources.
• The nominee may be undervalued, but still gave valuable input to academia, relevant entities and authorities in the environment and resources field.
• The nominee carried out work/projects of prestigious nature in favour of the environment and resources.

This award is intended to recognise initiatives or innovations implemented by private companies to contribute to their environmental sustainability, while also supporting the achievement of Malta’s national environmental objectives, such as in terms of air quality, waste management, and biodiversity. The award recognises efforts that exceed relevant environmental regulations and standards and allow for community engagement.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be either a locally registered private company or a corporate body lawfully established which has legal personality distinct from that of its members, or an individual involved in industry and innovation.
• Applicant must be fully compliant with applicable environmental and resources considerations including, as applicable, specific legal requirements, where applicable.
• The project or initiative is providing appropriate innovation and benefits in the environmental and resources sector.

Award Criteria

The following are to be duly considered:

• Implementation of innovative approaches, technologies, or strategies that address environmental challenges.
• Development of unique solutions or ideas that set the company or the individual apart in its environmental efforts.
• The project/initiative goes beyond the minimum environmental permit compliance requirements, where possible and if applicable.
• The potential for long-term environmental benefits resulting from the project/initiative and how well it is integrated into the company’s business operations.
• How the project/initiative contributes to increased wellbeing of clients, employees, suppliers, the community and/or other relevant stakeholders from an environmental and resources perspective.
• Relevant recognised environmental certifications or processes incorporating ESG principles will be considered an asset for selection, where applicable.

The project/initiative must be in line with one or more of the following National Strategy for the Environment Strategic Goals:

• Strategic Goal 1: Clean Air
• Strategic Goal 2: Quality Neighbourhoods
• Strategic Goal 3: Thriving Biodiversity
• Strategic Goal 4: Zero Waste
• Strategic Goal 5: Resilient Land Resources
• Strategic Goal 6: Flourishing Seas
• Strategic Goal 7: Sustainable Water Resources
• Strategic Goal 8: Enabling Change

This award is intended to recognise projects or initiatives led by voluntary organisations as important environmental stewards and enablers of the environmental sustainability agenda, through effective community engagement and outreach.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be a locally registered voluntary organisation (with a registration number) established in accordance with the Voluntary Organisations Act (Cap. 492).

Award Criteria

The following are to be duly considered:

• The aim and objectives of the project/initiative and its environmental or resources sustainability and practices.
• Communication, education and awareness raising initiatives carried out as part of the project/initiative.
• How the project/initiative contributes to increased wellbeing of the community and/or other relevant stakeholders, from an environmental and resources perspective.

The project/initiative must address elements of one or more of the following National Strategy for the Environment Strategic Goals:

• Strategic Goal 1: Clean Air
• Strategic Goal 2: Quality Neighbourhoods
• Strategic Goal 3: Thriving Biodiversity
• Strategic Goal 4: Zero Waste
• Strategic Goal 5: Resilient Land Resources
• Strategic Goal 6: Flourishing Seas
• Strategic Goal 7: Sustainable Water Resources
• Strategic Goal 8: Enabling Change

This award is intended to recognise projects or initiatives implemented by public entities as part of their commitment towards leading by example in the field of environmental sustainability through green practices, such as through waste reduction, reuse and recycling and sustainable mobility initiatives.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be a public entity in Malta.

Award Criteria

The following are to be duly considered:

• The project/initiative contributes to environment and resources protection.
• The project/initiative is innovative within the context and/or goes beyond the minimum environmental permit compliance requirements, where possible and if applicable.
• Communication, education and awareness raising initiatives carried out as part of the project/initiative.
• How the project/initiative contributes to increased wellbeing of clients, employees, the community and/or other relevant stakeholders from an environmental and resources perspective.
• Relevant recognised environmental certifications or processes incorporating ESG principles will be considered an asset for selection, where applicable.

The project/initiative must address elements of one or more of the following National Strategy for the Environment Strategic Goals:

• Strategic Goal 1: Clean Air
• Strategic Goal 2: Quality Neighbourhoods
• Strategic Goal 3: Thriving Biodiversity
• Strategic Goal 4: Zero Waste
• Strategic Goal 5: Resilient Land Resources
• Strategic Goal 6: Flourishing Seas
• Strategic Goal 7: Sustainable Water Resources
• Strategic Goal 8: Enabling Change

This Scheme is intended to offer funds to those projects or initiatives implemented by educational institutions to enable an environmental sustainability culture amongst students, including through didactic eco-projects implemented on the premises for nature-based learning.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be an educational institution or a learning programme in Malta.
• Through its activities, the applicant encourages environmental and resources education by incorporating cross-curricular work on the environment and resources and promotes eco-conscious practices at school to encourage a green transition and a long-term sustainability.

Award Criteria

The following are to be duly considered:

• The project/initiative contributes to environment and resources protection.
• The project/initiative has a didactic approach and/or involves the students in the project.
• The project/initiative is integrated into the environmental and resources educational material delivered to students.
• The project/initiative is innovative within the context and/or goes beyond the minimum curriculum requirements, where possible and applicable.
• How the project/initiative contributes to the increased wellbeing of students, staff or the neighbouring community from an environmental perspective.

The project/initiative must be in line with one or more of the following National Strategy for the Environment Strategic Goals:

• Strategic Goal 1: Clean Air
• Strategic Goal 2: Quality Neighbourhoods
• Strategic Goal 3: Thriving Biodiversity
• Strategic Goal 4: Zero Waste
• Strategic Goal 5: Resilient Land Resources
• Strategic Goal 6: Flourishing Seas
• Strategic Goal 7: Sustainable Water Resources
• Strategic Goal 8: Enabling Change

This award is intended to recognise persons or organisations enabling a green transition by acting as a catalyst of change, such as by raising awareness, taking action on environmental and resources matters and/or by demonstrating exceptional performance towards improving local systems for the improvement of the environment and the community.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nominee can be an individual or an entity.

Award Criteria

• The nomination must describe how the nominee is enabling a green transition by acting as a catalyst of change, such as by raising awareness or taking action on environmental and resources matters, particularly in the face of adversity;

and/or

• Nominee has demonstrated exceptional performance towards improving local systems through voluntary application of its own knowledge and skills for the overall betterment of the environment and the community.