Call for Applications: 16th EST Decarbonized Transportation Award for Organizations Working on Decarbonization in the Transportation Sector

The EST Promotion Committee (Chairman: Hirokazu Kato/Professor, Nagoya University) has started accepting applications for the 16th EST Decarbonized Transportation Award (organized by the EST Promotion Committee, Japan Mobility & Environment Foundation, and sponsored by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National Police Agency, Ministry of the Environment, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Japan Bus Association, Japan Private Railway Association, and All Japan Taxi Association) on July 15 (Wed).

As Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, various sectors are increasingly focusing on environmental measures, and the transportation sector is also required to further promote decarbonization. The award, which has been implemented up to the 15th edition as the EST Transportation Environment Award, has been renamed to the EST Decarbonized Transportation Award and will widely solicit initiatives from organizations working towards environmentally friendly transportation in the transportation and logistics sectors.

On July 22 (Wed), an online application explanation meeting will be held to explain the main changes this year and introduce the latest initiatives from three organizations that have won awards in the past.

In addition to the organizers and sponsors, cooperation is also being received from the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Japan Society of Traffic Engineers, Japan Transportation Planning Association, Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute, and Japan Share Cycle Association.

Call for Applications

Application Content Excellent initiatives for traffic environmental measures in the region * Initiatives related to urban planning, welfare, and energy-related human and material flows are also eligible

Application Period July 15, 2026 (Wed) to October 15, 2026 (Thu)

Eligibility (Self-recommendation) Local governments, companies, or NPOs, etc. * Neighborhood associations and other voluntary organizations are also eligible (Other recommendations) Experts in regional traffic environmental measures or supporting organizations of this award This award system encourages applications from multiple organizations or through councils

Application Method Download the application form from the EST portal site, fill in the required information, attach the necessary documents, and submit them to the EST Promotion Committee secretariat

Award Categories [Grand Prize] Initiatives with the most excellent traffic environmental measures in the region (Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award, Minister of the Environment Award) [Excellent Award] Initiatives evaluated as excellent and comparable to the Grand Prize [Encouragement Award] Organizations rooted in the region and making daily efforts, or outstanding results of individual initiatives

Evaluation Criteria ○ Basic items (achievements, novelty and originality, timeliness and topicality, feasibility, economy) ○ Environmental improvement effects (future prospects of measures, environmental improvement quantity, implementation period) ○ Regional sustainability (environmental evaluation, economic evaluation, social evaluation) ○ Appropriate collaboration with various entities (local governments, transportation operators, local residents, and other related organizations) ○ Additional points: Relationship with regional traffic planning or existing transportation networks (traffic planning, urban planning)

Organizers EST Promotion Committee, Japan Mobility & Environment Foundation

Sponsors Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National Police Agency, Ministry of the Environment, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Japan Bus Association, Japan Private Railway Association, All Japan Taxi Association

Cooperation Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Japan Society of Traffic Engineers, Japan Transportation Planning Association, Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute, Japan Share Cycle Association,

Details and Application We welcome applications from organizations related to local governments, transportation operators, and related companies and organizations in the fields of transportation, urban, environment, energy, and welfare, which are working towards environmentally friendly transportation.

Schedule July 15, 2026 to October 15, 2026 Application Period July 22, 2026 Application Explanation Meeting (Please refer to this page for details) February 2027 Announcement of Evaluation Results Around April 2027 Award Ceremony for Winning Organizations

Past Winning Organizations (Initiatives Introduced at the Application Explanation Meeting) 14th EST Transportation Environment Award (2024 Winner) Grand Prize (Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award) Winner Ise Regional Public Transportation Conference "Promotion of the use of public transportation through the operation of electric buses using renewable energy" Grand Prize (Minister of the Environment Award) Winner Ishinomaki Green Slow Mobility Association, Ishinomaki City "Achieving decarbonization and solving regional issues with Green Slow Mobility (Grislo)" Excellent Award Winner First Transportation Industry Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture) "National Taxi EV Conversion Project"

Application Explanation Meeting Thumbnail Image

For a list of other past winning organizations and their main initiatives, please refer to this page.

Background of the Call for Applications What is EST? EST (Environmentally Sustainable Transport: Environmentally Sustainable Transportation) is a concept proposed by the OECD in the late 1990s, which considers environmental sustainability, including decarbonization, in addition to economic and social sustainability. It is a way of thinking that is also related to the current SDGs.

EST Mark

What is the EST Decarbonized Transportation Award? In order to encourage local governments to formulate and implement long-term traffic and environmental policies, as well as related urban and welfare policies, based on the concept of EST, it is considered important to discover and widely introduce excellent examples of initiatives for traffic environmental measures being implemented in the region (by local governments, companies, citizen groups, etc.). Based on this idea, the EST Transportation Environment Award, which was established in 2009 by scholars, related organizations, and related government agencies, has been inherited and developed, and the award name has been changed to the EST Decarbonized Transportation Award from this year. This is the 16th time.

EST Decarbonized Transportation Award Logo Mark (Planned)

Recruitment Brochure Download here

Application Explanation Meeting Brochure Download here

Inquiries EST Promotion Committee for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation

Secretariat Japan Mobility & Environment Foundation

Inquiry Form