The Frontiers Planet Prize honours academic breakthroughs that contribute to the stabilisation of the planet’s ecosystem. It aims to accelerate international competition for the best solutions for global ecological crises and promote scientific cooperation.

The prize will be awarded for the fourth time in 2026. Each country’s nominating institution is entitled to name three persons for the global final round. The jury, led by Prof. Johan Rockstr?m (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) and composed of 100 experts, votes for a “National Champion” from the nominated persons. This will be announced on Earth Day, the 22nd of April 2026. In June 2026, three “International Champions” will be announced from among them and honoured in a ceremony. The institutions of the three researchers will each receive US$ 1 million for further research. ?

The two other German researchers nominated for the final round are Prof. Daniel Hering (Universit?t Duisburg-Essen) and Dr Gustavo B. Paterno (Georg-August-Universit?t G?ttingen).

About Prof. Kunstmann

Prof. Kunstmann holds the Chair for Regional Climate and Hydrology and is the founding director of the Centre for Climate Resilience at the University of Augsburg. He is also deputy director of the Institute of Meteorology and Climate and Atmospheric Research at the Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. His research includes the development and operation of complex regional earth system models as well as state-of-the-art observation infrastructure for recording the interactions between climate, land use, water supply balance, and greenhouse gas flows. In the nominated article, he and his team identify with the help of eddy covariance measurements ways for achieving climate-friendly agriculture and improved food security in West Africa by quantifying methane emissions from intensive rice cultivation and determining opportunities for compensation through forests located in nature conservation areas.

?