Ruamrudee International School wins 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize in Global High Schools — East Asia & Pacific

Ruamrudee International School of Thailand won the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools — East Asia & Pacific category for its 'Future of Good Life' project, which applies Alternate Wetting and Drying and a student-built RiceSense sensor to reduce water use and methane emissions.

Ruamrudee International School in Thailand has been named the winner of the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools — East Asia & Pacific category. The school received a US $150,000 award for its 'Future of Good Life' project. The project addresses environmental impacts of rice farming by using Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and a low-cost, student-developed sensor called RiceSense. Students also lead farmer training and awareness activities to encourage wider adoption. Key details: - Award: Winner of the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize, Global High Schools — East Asia & Pacific; prize amount US $150,000. - Project approach: Uses the AWD method and RiceSense, a sensor that tracks water levels and GPS data to support water savings and methane reduction. - Reported benefits: The project is expected to benefit about 1,200 students and 150 teachers, help farmers reduce methane emissions by up to 40%, and save roughly 750 cubic metres of water per growing cycle. - Scaling and outcomes: Students provide farmer training to scale adoption and enable participation in carbon credit schemes. - Prize context: The Zayed Sustainability Prize recognises work across Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools; organisers report that since inception the Prize has positively impacted over 400 million people and that 68 high schools have been awarded in the Global High Schools category since 2013. Summary: The award recognises a school-led effort that combines a water-management method and a student-built sensor to reduce resource use and greenhouse-gas emissions in rice farming. The US $150,000 prize is intended to expand the sensor technology, enhance environmental education programmes, and strengthen partnerships with local farmers to scale sustainable rice cultivation across Thailand.