More than half of humanity lives in cities, and that number continues to grow. As urban areas expand, climate change, inequality and poor infrastructure are putting new pressure on daily life. Making cities work better for people and the planet will require solutions from every sector and at every scale. 

The WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities is a global award recognizing transformative urban projects. Launched in 2018 and generously supported by philanthropist and business leader Stephen M. Ross, the Prize aims to elevate and amplify proven solutions reshaping urban life, advance systematic learning about urban transformation and grow a worldwide movement of urban changemakers.

Each cycle, five finalists are selected from a global pool of submissions by an international, multidisciplinary evaluation team. An independent jury then selects one Grand Prize Winner from the five finalists. The Grand Prize Winner receives $250,000, and the other four finalists each receive $25,000.

2027-2028 Prize: Cycle 6

The sixth cycle of the Prize returns to its core charge: recognizing transformative urban projects across the full range of challenges facing cities today.

Rather than focusing on a single issue area, Cycle 6 welcomes proven, locally grounded projects across sectors and geographies. Projects may address housing, mobility, public space, climate resilience, waste, nature, governance, livelihoods and more.

Strong projects apply big ideas to critical urban challenges, deliver life-changing impact and create far-ranging ripple effects.

Submissions are open through January 13, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Learn more and apply now. 

How Winners Are Selected

An international, multidisciplinary WRI evaluation team selects five finalists through a rigorous, multi-stage review process based on three core criteria:

  • Big Idea: The innovative idea or novel approach to a critical urban problem
  • Life-Changing Impact: Meaningful change in people’s lives, mindsets or behaviors  
  • Ripple Effects: Impact on the city and institutions beyond the initial project site, or seeds of transformation in other cities and places 

After the five finalists are selected, WRI conducts additional research, verification and site visits to better understand each project’s impact and context.

An independent jury of global urban leaders then reviews the five finalists, deliberates and selects the Grand Prize Winner. 

Explore Submissions Across Cycles

Across five cycles, the Prize has received more than 1,200 submissions from cities around the world, reflecting the breadth of urban innovation across regions, sectors and issue areas. 

Past Grand Prize Winners

Past Grand Prize Winners demonstrate the many pathways urban transformation can take:

  • Move As One Coalition (2025-2026) brought commuters, transport workers and civil society together to advance safer, more inclusive public transport in Manila, Philippines, helping turn grassroots advocacy into lasting policy and investment.
  • Re-Ciclo (2023-2024) transformed waste collection in Fortaleza, Brazil, by integrating electric mobility and improving livelihoods for informal recyclers.
  • Todos al Parque (2021-2022) transformed neglected spaces into vibrant, inclusive parks across Barranquilla, Colombia, improving public space and supporting wider urban renewal.
  • Sustainable Food Production for a Resilient Rosario (2020-2021) strengthened food security and climate resilience by repurposing urban land for agriculture in Rosario, Argentina.
  • School Area Road Safety and Improvements (2019) created safer journeys to school for children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and other African cities, developing an approach that has informed road safety efforts beyond where it began. 

More Than an Award

The Prize is a platform for identifying transformative urban solutions, elevating the people and ideas behind them and learning from how change happens in practice.

Across cycles, the experiences of finalists and winners contributes to a growing body of knowledge about what it takes to turn bold ideas into lasting urban change. WRI captures and shares those lessons through original research, learning events, stories and video profiles. The Prize Database is an interactive resource featuring details on how select projects from across cycles were structured and carried out. HOW TO MAKE A CITY is a modular, travelling exhibition drawing out insights on urban transformation from 25 finalist projects across five Prize cycles. These efforts help surface what enables transformative change and share those lessons with others.

The Prize is also creating a growing network of urban changemakers by connecting finalists with peers, researchers, partners and urban leaders from around the world. These relationships create opportunities to share practical approaches, spark new collaborations and carry lessons from one city or project to another.