The PRISMA – Sustainability Assessment and Policy Award was presented during the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) 2025, held from April 8–10 in Dresden. The award recognizes outstanding publications that contribute to sustainability assessment and policy, with a strong focus on the Resource Nexus.
The award is coordinated by the PRISMA – Centre for Sustainability Assessment and Policy at TU Dresden. Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, Director of UNU-FLORES, is both the founder and Chairwoman of the Board of PRISMA, which seeks to advance interdisciplinary sustainability research. Under her leadership, PRISMA has become a recognized platform for promoting innovative approaches to sustainability assessment and -policy.
Prof. Daniel Karthe of UNU-FLORES moderated the 2025 award ceremony. He introduced the award session, highlighted the significance of the winning contributions, and delivered the Laudatio for the award recipient, acknowledging the exceptional quality and relevance of the research in the context of the Resource Nexus.
Award Recipient: Disha Gupta
This year, the award was bestowed upon Disha Gupta, a young researcher from India, for her paper titled:
“Free power, irrigation, and groundwater depletion: Impact of farm electricity policy of Punjab, India”
Published in Agricultural Economics, Volume 54, July 2023, Pages 515–514.
DOI: 10.1111/agec.12773
Gupta's research provides critical insights into how agricultural policies, specifically free electricity for irrigation, contribute to groundwater depletion in Punjab, India. Her work exemplifies the integration of policy analysis with sustainability assessment, aligning with the Resource Nexus approach.
Special Recognition: WEF Nexus Index Team
In addition to the main award, the jury granted special recognition to the team behind the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Index, a tool that supports integrated resource management and informed policymaking. The team, composed of international researchers from multiple institutions—including Gareth Simpson, Graham Jewitt, William Becker, Jessica Badenhorst, Sara Masia, Ana Neves, Pere Rovira, and Victor Pascual—was praised for their comprehensive and practical approach to measuring interlinkages between water, energy, and food systems.
Their work on the WEF Nexus Index offers a comprehensive tool for assessing the interconnections of resources, facilitating more informed policy decisions.
About the PRISMA Award
The PRISMA Award, organized by the PRISMA – Centre for Sustainability Assessment and Policy at TU Dresden, aims to honor scientists for outstanding research presented in peer-reviewed publications that advance sustainability assessment, particularly within integrated ("nexus") approaches to resource management.
The 2025 award ceremony took place on April 8 during the DNC 2025 in Dresden, a global forum that brings together experts from academia, governance, the private sector, and international organizations to discuss sustainable resource management strategies.
