Climate Solutions Prize Unveils 2026 Top 10 Finalists Ahead of Largest Festival Yet in Montréal, June 8-9

The festival will feature leading voices in climate capital, policy, and innovation -- seven thematic tracks and over $1.5 million in prizes

MONTREAL, May. 21, 2026 /CNW/ - At a moment when scaling proven climate technologies has become the central challenge of the transition the Climate Solutions Prize (CSP) Festival has announced the 10 finalists for the 2026 Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize, selected from the strongest applicant pool in the Prize's history. The finalists will pitch live to a jury of investors and industry leaders in a Dragons' Den-style event on the final day of the Festival, with the winner revealed at the closing ceremony. The 2026 edition of the Festival will take place at Marché Bonsecours in Montréal on June 8–9. With seven thematic tracks -- three of which are new -- more than $1.5 million in prizes, and 2,000 expected participants, the 2026 edition will be the largest to date.

Confirmed speakers include David Suzuki, renowned Canadian scientist, broadcaster and founder of the David Suzuki Foundation; Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and former Premier of Québec; Henry Stern, California State Senator, former environmental attorney and longtime clean energy advocate; Sage Lenier, climate educator, founder of Sustainable & Just Future and a 2023 TIME Next Generation Leader; and Bruce Friedrich, founder and CEO of the Good Food Institute and a TED Fellow. They will take the stage alongside entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators and public sector actors from 20+ countries and 5 continents.

"The research and solutions exist, and there is a growing base of climate-focused investors and the talent to lead. The challenge is building the connective infrastructure: the mechanisms and platforms that help innovations survive the journey from lab to market. That is what the CSP is designed to provide," says Galith Levy, CEO and co-founder of the Climate Solutions Prize.

2026 Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize: The Top 10 Finalists

The 2026 Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize finalists represent BC, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec and span sectors including Built Environment, AgTech, Water, Resource Technology (green chemistry, critical minerals, industrial decarbonization), Energy and Power, Nature and Biodiversity (restoration), and Changemaker -- each recognized for the strength and impact of their climate solutions.

• Local Energy (Daniel Bastien) -- Helps factories, industrial parks and cities reduce emissions by capturing and redistributing excess energy that would otherwise be wasted.
• Tydra Biomaterial Labs Ltd (Jaiya Varshney) -- Transforms food waste into chitin through microbial recycling, creating a powerful material for water remediation, wound healing and soil health.
• Cellulotech Inc (Romain Metivet) -- A fast, low-cost green chemistry process that makes paper water- and grease-resistant while keeping it recyclable, offering a plastic-free packaging alternative.
• Cardinal Volta (Nan Ge) -- Captures wasted industrial heat and converts it into reusable energy, helping factories reduce costs and emissions.
• Planetary (Michael Kelland) -- Removes carbon by safely restoring ocean alkalinity, enabling seawater to absorb and permanently store more CO₂ while reducing ocean acidification.
• Alter Biota Inc (Mark Masotti) -- Uses biochar from wood waste and computer vision aggregate analysis to help concrete producers make stronger, lower-carbon concrete.
• TerraFixing (Samantha Usas) -- Stores low-cost renewable electricity as high-temperature heat, replacing fossil fuels in heat-intensive industrial production.
• Tersa Earth Innovations Inc (Earl Oliver) -- Uses microbe-powered water treatment to clean mine-impacted water, neutralize acidity and recover valuable metals.
• Tree Track Intelligence (Amir Soleimani) -- Combines engineered Seedpods and precision UAV deployment to restore wildfire-damaged landscapes with stronger seedling survival rates.
• Neptune Nanotechnologies (Aaron Guan) -- Turns discarded crab and lobster shells into a bio-based fire-safety additive for plastics, reducing reliance on toxic chemicals.

Three more prizes recognizing climate leadership

In addition to the Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize, the Festival will present three additional awards recognizing innovations with strong environmental and economic impact:

• The 2026 Breakthrough Research Prize, recognizing leading climate research from Canadian universities and non-profit institutions, with awards directed to the host institution to support continued innovation.
• The 2026 Climate Startup Equity Prize Powered by Cycle Momentum, recognizing early-stage Quebec-based climate startups with strong commercial and environmental impact.
• The 2026 Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize, recognizing the next generation of climate solution builders.

The 2026 edition drew a record level of interest, with a 30% increase in applications over the previous year. The full list of finalists for all prizes is available in the attached fact sheet and at www.climatesolutionsprize.com.

Bridging the gap between climate innovation and deployment

Since its founding in 2020, the CSP has become an international platform that has supported more than 1,400 innovators across 20 countries, awarded over $12 million in prizes, and helped generate more than $111 million in follow-on funding. The 2026 edition marks a new phase of expansion. Three new thematic tracks -- Nature & Biotechnologies, Resource Technologies and Energy & Power -- join four returning tracks to bring the total to seven.

"I've been to hundreds of sustainability conferences over the course of my career, and most times cannot wait to get home. The Climate Solutions Prize Festival is different -- one of the most incredible experiences of my entire career. Being surrounded by leaders from across sectors, all sharing ideas to reduce our carbon impact, made it one of the most inspiring and impactful few days I've ever had in sustainability." -- Rob Johnson, Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Seattle Kraken & Climate Pledge Arena

"Events like the Climate Solutions Prize Festival are wonderful opportunities to highlight concrete solutions and bring initiatives forward. In this province, there are extraordinary initiatives and extraordinary creativity to support. We are proud to be part of it." -- Grégoire Baillargeon, President, BMO Financial Group, Québec

Click here to discover the full program and register.

To register as media, please contact Emmy Vande Rosieren at [email protected] or [phone].

About the Climate Solutions Prize

Founded in 2020, the Climate Solutions Prize acts as a catalyst for the ecological transition by accelerating innovation, investment and collaboration. Through its flagship annual event, the Climate Solutions Prize Festival, the initiative brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, public sector actors and strategic partners to foster the emergence, funding and global reach of innovative environmental technologies.

FACT SHEET

2026 Climate Solutions Prize Festival : Full List of Finalists

The 2026 Climate Solutions Prize Festival will recognize finalists across four prize categories. Below are the complete lists of finalists.

2026 Breakthrough Research Prize: The Top 10 Finalists

The Breakthrough Research Prize recognizes leading climate research from Canadian universities and non-profit institutions, with awards directed to the host institution to support continued innovation.

• University of British Columbia -- Armand Bonakdarpour (Narval Energy): A safe, low-cost sodium and iron battery for long-duration energy storage that performs in extreme temperatures and can replace diesel power in remote communities.
• University of Toronto and Western University, in partnership with Xatoms Inc -- Diana Virgovicova: AI-discovered, light-activated materials that break down industrial water pollution without chemical additives or secondary waste.
• National Research Council of Canada -- Parisa Karimi (Hyperion): A circular carbon recycling system that captures CO₂ from cement production and converts it into useful low-carbon minerals.
• RXN Hub, in partnership with CERT Systems -- Steacy Coombs: Uses clean electricity to convert CO₂ and water into ethylene, replacing fossil-based production for plastics, fuels and everyday materials.
• RXN Hub, in partnership with Secant Fuel -- Sandra Walker [confirm name]: Turns CO₂ and water into clean syngas, creating a scalable pathway to lower-carbon fuels for shipping and aviation.
• Biopterre -- Rodrigue Dasani [confirm spelling]: Transforms stored mine-site soils into biologically active carbon sinks, turning land restoration into a measurable climate solution.
• Université Laval -- MicroMea -- Juliette Gagnon: Converts businesses' organic waste into onsite biogas through compact, bacteria-powered containers, reducing landfill use and emissions.
• University of Waterloo, in partnership with CarbonLume Inc -- Abdelaziz Gouda: Uses modular, light-driven technology to convert methane into battery-grade carbon nanotubes and clean hydrogen.
• Simon Fraser University -- Majid Bahrami [confirm spelling]: A waste-heat-to-cooling platform that uses heat from buildings and data centres to produce affordable, low-carbon cooling.
• Concordia University -- Ashlee Howarth (Anodyne Chemistries): A reusable sorbent-based process that turns captured CO₂ into carbon-negative chemicals with lower energy and emissions.

2026 Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize: The Top 10 Finalists

The 2026 Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize saw a 30% increase in applications over last year. This year's finalists represent [X] countries and span sectors from [X to Y]. The finalists will pitch live to a jury of investors and industry leaders in a Dragons' Den-style event on June 9, with the winner revealed at the closing ceremony.

• Local Energy (Daniel Bastien) -- Helps factories, industrial parks and cities reduce emissions by capturing and redistributing excess energy that would otherwise be wasted.
• Tydra Biomaterial Labs Ltd (Jaiya Varshney) -- Transforms food waste into chitin through microbial recycling, creating a powerful material for water remediation, wound healing and soil health.
• Cellulotech Inc (Romain Metivet) -- A fast, low-cost green chemistry process that makes paper water- and grease-resistant while keeping it recyclable, offering a plastic-free packaging alternative.
• Cardinal Volta (Nan Ge) -- Captures wasted industrial heat and converts it into reusable energy, helping factories reduce costs and emissions.
• Planetary (Michael Kelland) -- Removes carbon by safely restoring ocean alkalinity, enabling seawater to absorb and permanently store more CO₂ while reducing ocean acidification.
• Alter Biota Inc (Mark Masotti) -- Uses biochar from wood waste and computer vision aggregate analysis to help concrete producers make stronger, lower-carbon concrete.
• TerraFixing (Samantha Usas) -- Stores low-cost renewable electricity as high-temperature heat, replacing fossil fuels in heat-intensive industrial production.
• Tersa Earth Innovations Inc (Earl Oliver) -- Uses microbe-powered water treatment to clean mine-impacted water, neutralize acidity and recover valuable metals.
• Tree Track Intelligence (Amir Soleimani) -- Combines engineered Seedpods and precision UAV deployment to restore wildfire-damaged landscapes with stronger seedling survival rates.
• Neptune Nanotechnologies (Aaron Guan) -- Turns discarded crab and lobster shells into a bio-based fire-safety additive for plastics, reducing reliance on toxic chemicals.

2026 Climate Startup Equity Prize Powered by Cycle Momentum: The Top 10 Finalists

The Climate Startup Equity Prize recognizes early-stage Quebec-based climate startups with strong commercial and environmental impact.

• AgFlo -- Brings precision to feed inventory, reducing costs and emissions at scale.
• Partake (Partage Club Inc.) -- Live more than you own.
• PakVille -- Reinventing construction with high-performance building panels made from recycled materials.
• PlasmaGear -- PFAS is being phased out, and PlasmaGear is ready to replace it.
• Local Energy -- Uses AI to turn complex thermal and industrial energy systems into flexible energy assets.
• BeNat -- Waste less. Build more.
• Carbon Saver -- Embeds carbon intelligence directly into existing building design tools, making emissions reduction automatic, fast and cost-effective.
• Altiro -- Patented iron fuel technology that stores clean power and delivers it anywhere in the world.
• Polaris Aerospace -- Redefining access to space.
• Secant Fuel -- Turns captured CO₂ and water into low-carbon syngas, creating a simpler, lower-cost pathway to cleaner fuels and chemicals.

For more information: www.climatesolutionsprize.com

SOURCE Climate Solutions Prize

Media Contact: Emmy Vande Rosierenm, COPTICOM, Strategies and Public Relations, [phone], [email protected]