ASEAN Prize 2026: Nominations Open to Recognize Regional Contributions
JAKARTA, 3 March 2026 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today launched the call for nominations for the ASEAN Prize 2026, a regional award recognizing outstanding contributions to ASEAN community building. Nominations are open from March 3rd to May 25th, 2026.
About the ASEAN Prize
The ASEAN Prize is a premier regional award established in 2018 to honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions towards strengthening the ASEAN community [1]. The prize recognizes achievements in advancing ASEAN’s identity, fostering people-to-people engagement and promoting an inclusive and dynamic ASEAN Community.
Award Details
The recipient of the ASEAN Prize 2026 will receive a trophy presented during a key ASEAN ceremony under the Philippines’ Chairmanship, along with a monetary prize of US$20,000, provided by the Temasek Foundation of Singapore [2].
Nomination Criteria and Focus Areas
ASEAN invites nominations for individuals or organizations that demonstrate exceptional contributions in the following areas:
- Outstanding collaboration between ASEAN Member States (AMSs)
- Outstanding collaboration between ASEAN and the world
- Outstanding people-to-people engagement among AMSs
- Outstanding economic integration and promotion of standards between AMSs
- Other outstanding contributions to ASEAN Community Building
Nominations must be accompanied by supporting documents that substantiate the nominee’s achievements and contributions to regional development. A character reference highlighting the nominee’s eligibility is also encouraged. Self-nominations and posthumous submissions will not be considered.
Nomination Process and Timeline
All nominations must be submitted through the National Focal Points (NFPs) of the respective ASEAN Member State by May 25th, 2026, at 5 PM GMT+7 (Jakarta time). The nomination form can be downloaded from https://asean.org/nomination-form/.
The Judging Committee, chaired by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will assess nominations. The committee comprises both former and current Secretaries-General of ASEAN.
Previous Recipient
In 2025, the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) received the ASEAN Prize for their contributions to fostering understanding and awareness of ASEAN through youth-led and intercultural initiatives.
National Focal Points
Below is a list of National Focal Points for the ASEAN Prize, by member state:
| ASEAN Member State | National Focal Point | |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei Darussalam | ASEAN-Brunei Darussalam National Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | dept.ofasean@mfa.gov.bn |
| Cambodia | General Department of ASEAN, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation | mfaic.asean@mfaic.gov.kh |
| Indonesia | Directorate of ASEAN Social and Cultural Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | dit.ksba@kemlu.go.id; direktoratkfa@gmail.com |
| Lao PDR | ASEAN Political-Security Community Division, Lao National ASEAN Secretariat | aseanlaos@gmail.com |
| Malaysia | ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat | myasean@kln.gov.my |
| Myanmar | Socio-cultural Division, ASEAN-Myanmar National Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | dgasean@gmail.com; amns.mofa@gmail.com |
| Philippines | ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Division, ASEAN-Philippines National Secretariat | asean@dfa.gov.ph |
| Singapore | ASEAN-Singapore National Secretariat | Mfa_asean_singapore@mfa.gov.sg |
| Thailand | Department of ASEAN Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | mfa1202@mfa.go.th |
| Timor-Leste | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Directorate General for ASEAN Affairs, Timor-Leste ASEAN National Secretariat | rdtlasean@mnec.gov.tl |
| Viet Nam | ASEAN-Viet Nam National Secretariat | asean.mfa@mofa.gov.vn; asean.mfa.vn@gmail.com |
About ASEAN: Established on August 8, 1967, ASEAN comprises ten Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Viet Nam. The ASEAN Community was formally established on December 31, 2015. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.