The Henri de Laulanié Prize, launched by the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI), opened for submissions on 22 February, inviting student teams from any university or higher-education institution worldwide to showcase innovative agroecology projects that make a real‑world difference.

The Laudato Si’ Research Institute is a work of the Jesuits in Britain. It combines research, dialogue, and teaching to promote integral ecology, linking care for the Earth with justice for people and the flourishing of communities.

The prize awards £5,000 to student‑led initiatives that combine academic research with practical impact and demonstrate how agroecology can restore soils, increase yields, and strengthen livelihoods without reliance on extractive chemical models. Teams must include both an academic mentor and an enterprise or practice mentor — for example from a farmer organisation, NGO, social enterprise, cooperative, or start‑up — to bridge theory and practice.

Projects in any format that clearly demonstrate tangible impact beyond the classroom are welcome.

Fr Peter Rožič SJ, Director of the Integral Ecology Research Network (IERN), said:

“I’m delighted that the LSRI is launching the Henri de Laulanié Prize to support student-led agroecology. The prize honours Fr de Laulanié’s legacy by investing in young people who combine rigorous scholarship with hands-on practice to restore soils, strengthen livelihoods and build scalable, community-rooted solutions. We hope it will help form the next generation of leaders who can translate wisdom into durable, place-based change.”

A parallel award for Jesuit business schools, administered with Loyola Marymount University and the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS). Was also launched. Full guidelines, eligibility criteria and submission instructions are available on the official prize page.

Submissions opened on 22 February 2026 and will close on 7 May 2026. Student teams, mentors, and enterprise partners are encouraged to begin preparing entries now. A short video introducing Henri de Laulanié and his legacy is available here.

Who was Henri de Laulanié?

Henri de Laulanié SJ (1920–1995) was a French Jesuit missionary and agronomist who spent over three decades in Madagascar working with smallholder rice farmers. He developed methods that inspired the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), improving yields and livelihoods, and founded an agricultural training school to support sustainable, community‑centred farming practices.