The Champions of the Earth is an international environment award given out every year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The award recognizes individuals who embody commitment and vision towards environmental leadership through their action and their influence.

To date the award has recognized 34 outstanding environmental leaders.

The winners of the 2010 Champions of Earth awards were announced on 22nd April 2010 the Earth Day. Among them, six winners of this award are:

• The President of Guyana; and passionate forestry and ecosystem; infrastructure proponent, Mr Bharrat Jagdeo;
• The President of the Maldives and international climate change campaigner, His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed;
• Afghanistan’s Director General of the National Environmental Protection Agency and avid sustainability advocate, Prince Mostapha Zaher
• Japanese earth scientist and pioneer of research into how the oceans cycle carbon, Dr Taro Takahashi;
• Chinese actress and popular green life-style guru, Ms Zhou Xun; and
• American venture capitalist, green energy entrepreneur and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla.

Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, said, 'The six winners represent some of the key pillars upon which society can build Green Growth and a development path to unite rather than divide six billion people.'

Attended by more then 1000 representatives from business government and civil society the trophies were presented at a gala event in Seoul.