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2024 LOCAL ADAPTATIONCHAMPIONS AWARDSAPPLICANTS’ GUIDEBOOKABOUT THE AWARDS
2024 LOCAL ADAPTATIONCHAMPIONS AWARDSThe GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards
spotlight and reward innovative, exemplary,inspiring, and scalable locally led efforts that
address the impacts of climate change and build
effective climate resilience among the mostvulnerable communities, sections of society,and individuals who are at the frontlines of thegreatest existential threat faced by humankind.
This year, the Awards will feature four new
thematic categories: Water Security, Food
Security, Urban Adaptation Solutions, and Local
Entrepreneurship.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Awards are open to any organization or groupof partners worldwide, who are in the processof implementing climate change adaptation/
resilience solutions that follow one of the eight
Principles of Locally Led Adaptation.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The call for applications will be open from
1 July to 11 August 2024.

PRIZES IN 2024

20 NOMINEES
20 nominees will benefit from publicity
around their nomination for the Awards.

4 WINNERS€15,000 EACH
Four winners will receive a cash prizeof €15,000 and be invited to an AwardCeremony at COP29 in Baku, which willtake place from 11 to 22 November 2024.
Winners will be required to provide aproposal of how they intend to use thecash prize and to report on their progress
up to one year after the disbursement ofthe prize.

ADAPTATION FUND CONTRIBUTION TO THE 2024
LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

Winners will be sponsored by the Adaptation Fund and invited to participate in prominent
speaking engagements at upcoming Adaptation Fund readiness events, including the Fund’sannual seminar for its national implementing entities, an interactive forum for capacity
building and other learning-and-sharing events that bring together accredited implementing
entities of the Fund. These events will provide the winners with opportunities to speak about
their experience and knowledge to an international audience of professionals who design andimplement adaptation projects in vulnerable communities in developing countries globally.
Learn more about the Adaptation Fund: https://www.adaptation-fund.org/

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

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AWARDS CATEGORIESWATERSECURITY
This category recognizes local, community-based
initiatives that address water-related challenges
and enhance local adaptation capacity throughefficient water drainage, channeling, use, orconservation. The solutions must be locallydesigned, accessible and tailored to the needsof the most vulnerable groups in the community,ensuring equitable management of water
resources for all.

FOOD
SECURITY
This category recognizes local, community-led
initiatives that support the design, mainstreaming,and adoption of climate-smart food production
systems that are designed by and for smallholder
producers and vulnerable communities along thesupply chain. Initiatives in this category should
demonstrate how they contribute to ensuringcontinuous, equitable and sustainable access todiverse, nutritious foods for poor, vulnerable anddisadvantaged groups.

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

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AWARDS CATEGORIESURBAN
ADAPTATION SOLUTIONSThis category recognizes locally led initiatives
for adaptation to climate change in urbanareas. Successful initiatives engage andbenefit vulnerable urban neighborhoods,
community leaders and city governments
through collaborative design, integration into
city adaptation plans, and a long-term vision tocontinuously increase adaptive capacity overtime.

LOCAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
This category recognizes local, community-based
businesses that: (1) have developed or adopted
adaptation solutions or technologies that address
local climate-related vulnerabilities and thatare accessible locally to the people or groups
most vulnerable to climate change; (2) havesupported local communities and governments
in adaptation efforts; or (3) helped address
structural inequalities faced by women, youth,
children, disabled, displaced, indigenous peoples
and marginalized ethnic groups that make themmore vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS3AWARDS TIMELINE
1 July 2024
APPLY
Call for applications opens.
18 July 2024
Q&A
Online Q&A session for applicants.
11 August 2024
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS CLOSES
Screening of applications starts.
15 August – 6 September 2024
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Applicants may be invited to provide further information.
10 September 2024
SHORTLISTING
Technical Advisory Group (TAG) selection of finalists.
20 September 2024
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARD NOMINEES
20 Award Nominees announced.
27 September 2024
FINAL ASSESSMENT
High-level Jury selection of winners.
11–22 November 2024
AWARD CEREMONY AND UNVEILING OF WINNERS
Winners announced at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

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SELECTION PROCESSREQUESTED MATERIALSELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The application form contains a series of questions
and spaces to upload files. Please make sure torespond to all the questions and provide:

Only applications that meet all of thefollowing criteria will be considered forthe 2024 competition:

A written description of the intervention orsolution in a story format.

1

A short, simple video: interviews,
presentation of the intervention, footage ofthe solution (2 minutes maximum). We are
not looking for high-quality, polished videos.

234

The intervention is being
implemented and results aredemonstrable.

Photos, infographics or other visual material
to support your story.

The intervention addresses
adaptation to climate change
impact or builds resilience against
climate impacts.
The intervention aims at the mostvulnerable communities, sectionsof society, and individuals
experiencing climate impacts.
The intervention adheres to one
or more Principles of Locally LedAdaptation.

Your entry must also fit into one of thefour Awards categories:

WATER
SECURITY

FOOD
SECURITYURBAN
ADAPTATION SOLUTIONSLOCALENTREPRENEURSHIP

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

SELECTION OF WINNERS
Applications will be ranked according to a pointsbased system that takes into account:• Innovation•Adherence to the Principles of Locally Led
Adaptation••Community leadership in decision-making••

Scalability and replicability••

Collaboration and partnerships

Leadership by the most vulnerable sections ofsociety, including women
Devolution of decision-making on the use offunds
Relevance of use of prize money

The top 20 applicants will be nominated forthe Awards and requested to provide
additional information.
After further screening by a Technical Advisory
Group composed of locally led adaptation experts,
the winners will be selected by a High-Level Jury.

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FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS
What are the GCA Local Adaptation
Champions Awards?

The Local Adaptation Champions Awards
spotlight and reward innovative, exemplary,inspiring, and scalable locally led efforts that
address the impacts of climate change and build
effective climate resilience among the mostvulnerable communities, sections of society,and individuals who are at the frontlines of thegreatest existential threat faced by humankind.

What are the prizes?

20 nominees will benefit from publicity aroundtheir nomination for the Awards. Four winners
will receive a cash prize of €15,000. The winners
will be invited to an Award Ceremony at COP29
in Baku, which will take place from 11 to 22
November 2024.

Who can enter the competition?

The Awards are open to any organization, orpartner network that has implemented or is in
the process of implementing, climate change
adaptation or resilience interventions that
follow one of the eight Principles of Locally Led
Adaptation.
We invite applications from:• Women-led groups• Non-governmental organizations (local,national, and international)

••
•
•
•

Universities
Research institutes
Think tanks
Governments
Entrepreneurship support organizations

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS• Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

with core business models focused on local
climate adaptation initiatives• Women-led businesses• Tech and non-tech enterprises• Locally grown corporates or organizations
promoting local climate adaptation alongsupply chainsIf you represent an organization or a groupof partners, make sure to request permission
to submit an application on their behalf to beconsidered for these Awards.
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How can I apply?

Access the GCA LLA Awards website at
gca.org/llachampions and click on “Apply here”
for the online application form.

What is the deadline for applying?

The call for applications will be open from
1 July to 11 August 2024.

What type of information should I
submit?
You will be asked to provide:• A short description• Photos or infographics• A video of 2 minutes or less (we are notlooking for high-quality, polished videos)visual elements that will illustrate your short
descriptive text and be complementary to thetwo-minute video. Photos can show people(participants in developing, implementing, andbenefitting from your solutions) or products.
They can showcase a situation before andafter your initiative was put in place, or show
the evolution of your intervention, or yourwork. In case you add infographics, those canshow processes, maps, diagrams – anythingthat will help the overall understanding of yourintervention. You can upload up to five photos
and/or graphic elements and unlimited links toadd to your application.

What happens if I am shortlisted in thetop 20?

• News articles or media coverage (if available) If you make it to the top 20 nominees for theUse your creativity to build your case. Rememberthat we want to hear your story. Please refrainfrom copying and pasting intervention design
documents. Instead, use your voice and thevoices of those who have participated in orbenefited from your solution to tell us what youdid, how you got there and what difference it hasmade.

What kind of videos are we looking for?

Videos should be shorter than two minutes. Yoursubmission should help us get a better senseof your achievement, such as interviews with
community members who have participated inor benefitted from your intervention or footageof the proposed solution in action. We are notlooking for high-quality, polished videos. A
video taken with your cellphone camera will do.
What’s important is that it contributes to yourstory and that it gives us a glimpse of the impactof your work.

What kind of photos and infographics
are we looking for?

Awards, we may request permission to use
your videos, photos or infographics as partof our promotional campaign for the Awards.
Please ensure you seek permission from those
appearing in your video/photos before filming
them/taking their pictures and sending us thefootage.

Can I fill out my application in alanguage other than English?

Yes. You can apply in the language of yourchoice if you include a transcript or subtitles
for your videos. Please bear in mind that text
may be machine-translated, a process thatsometimes entails the loss of meaning andinaccuracies.

Can I fill out the form offline?

You cannot fill out the form offline, but you candownload a copy to prepare your answers. Youcan also start and come back later to complete
it if you use the same computer and browser.
Once submitted, you will not be able to makechanges to your application.

We are not looking for professional andhigh-definition photos or graphs. Rather

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

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Can I submit more than one application
for the same intervention?

No. You may only submit one application foreach intervention. Please ensure that you only
have one person in your organization submit anapplication.

Can I submit applications formore than one intervention?

Yes. If you manage several eligible interventions,
you may submit an application per intervention.

What are the eight Principles of Locally
Led Adaptation?

The eight Principles of Locally Led Adaptation
are as follows:

1. Devolving decision-making to the lowest
appropriate level.

2. Addressing structural inequalities faced

by women, youth, children, disabled anddisplaced people, indigenous peoples andmarginalized ethnic groups.

3. Providing patient and predictable fundingthat can be accessed more easily.

4. Investing in local capabilities to leave an
institutional legacy.

5. Building a robust understanding of climate
risk and uncertainty.

6. Flexible programming and learning.
7. Ensuring transparency and accountability.
8. Collaborative action and investment.
What are examples of eligibleinterventions?

Both adaptation and resilience building
interventions are eligible. Adaptation refers
to specific processes or actions that enable
individuals or systems to adapt to the impactsof a changing climate, whereas resiliencedescribes the capacity or ability of individuals orsystems to anticipate and cope with shocks, andto recover from climate impacts. Interventions
that are not specifically identified as adaptation
2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

activities but build climate resilience anddemonstrate models for strengthening local
leadership in projects / initiatives / activities arealso welcome.

What are the minimum criteria foreligibility?
• The intervention addresses adaptation toclimate change impact or builds resilienceagainst climate impacts.

• The intervention aims at the most vulnerable
communities, sections of society, andindividuals experiencing climate impacts.

• The intervention adheres to one or more
Principles of Locally Led Adaptation.

• The intervention is being implemented andresults are demonstrable. and results aredemonstrable.

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I have only recently startedimplementation. Can I still beconsidered for the Awards?

Winning entries will have to show that they areindeed effective and have an impact. It may be
too early for your intervention to be considered
for the 2024 Awards but make sure to document
your work as you go along and save it for next
year’s Awards.

My intervention has helped communities
build resilience to climate change, but it
is not strictly an adaptation intervention.
Can I still apply for the Awards?
Yes. If you can make a compelling case thatthe people you have been working with havebeen able, because of your action, to build
resilience or adapt to climate change, and if yourintervention follows one of the eight Principles
of Locally Led Adaptation, then you arewelcome to submit an entry.

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS

How does the selection process work?

Applications will be screened against a set ofpre-defined criteria after the call for applications
closes. The top 20 applicants (five from eachcategory) will be reviewed by the TechnicalAdvisory Group, and two entries per category
will be forwarded to the High-Level Jury for final
selection of winners.

What happens after I am nominated?

Nominees will be requested to provide evidence
to support their entry and will have one week
to provide such evidence. Delays in providing
the requested documentation will result in
disqualification from the Awards process.
Nominees who send in their supporting
documents will be listed on the GCA website.

Are there any conditions/obligations forthe use of the €15,000 cash prizes?
Although there are no conditions attached tothe cash prize per se, the intent of the Awards ingeneral, and of the cash prize in particular, is toallow for small initiatives to gain visibility and toscale up and develop.

9AVOID POTENTIAL
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest is generally recognized as asituation where there is a risk that a
professional judgment or decision could beinfluenced by some secondary interest.
In the context of the GCA Awards team,Technical Advisory Group members and theJury, conflicts of interest may derive from amember’s relationship with a nominee and/oraffiliation with a nominee’s institution. To avoid
the appearance of any impropriety, membersof the GCA Awards team, Technical Advisory
Group and the Jury will adhere to the following
guidelines:••

If conflicts of interest are identified,the conflicted members will recuse
themselves from discussions related
to the corresponding nominations.
Recusal means that the GCA Awards
team, Technical Advisory Group members
and Jury members will refrain fromany commentary or input regarding theconflicted nomination before or during thedecision-making process and will absent
him/herself during discussions of theconflicted nomination.
The GCA Awards team, Technical Advisory
Group members and Jury members do notserve as nominator or endorser for any
nomination submitted for an Award.

•The GCA Awards team or GCA TechnicalAdvisory Group members cannot bedirectly involved in nominations prior
to their submittal. Members of the GCA
Awards team, Technical Advisory Group andthe Jury must maintain confidentiality about
internal discussions. Information about
deliberations should not be shared withanyone not involved in the selection process,nor should the Award recipient be discussed
until GCA has announced them publicly.

•Members of the GCA Awards team,Technical Advisory Group and the Jurydo not provide feedback to unsuccessful
candidates. If a member is asked forfeedback, this policy should be cited.

•At the Awards selection stage, members ofthe GCA Awards team, Technical Advisory
Group and the Jury will be asked to selfidentify any relationships/affiliations thatmight be perceived as a source of potential
bias and inform the team of the conflictsof interest before any candidates havebeen discussed. Members of the GCAAwards team, GCA Technical Advisory
Group members and the Jury will be asked
to identify any candidates with whom they
have had personal or working relationships,
any other case where judgment could beaffected, or identify any candidates fromtheir current institution or one where they
worked previously.

Photo credits. Cover: © ilipefrazao/iStock – p.2 ©hadynyah/iStock, ©Hispanolistic/iStock – p.3 ©hadynyah/iStock, ©.shock/iStock – p.6 ©Belinda Fewings/Unsplash
p.8 ©Tashi Kongma/Pixabay – p.9 Polaco Studios/iStock.

2024 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARDS10