Alianza Ceibo, an alliance of Amazon Indigenous peoples, has won the 2026 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, worth 1 million euros, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announced on September 23.

The alliance brings together the A’i Kofan, Siekopai, Siona and Waorani nations of the Upper Amazon Basin, protecting more than two million hectares of biodiverse rainforest across Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. Its programs include a Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership School that has trained 260 Indigenous women.

Co-founder Hernan Payaguaje told Lusa the prize carries a message: humanity must forge a strong alliance to defend nature, warning that oil, mining and agricultural exploitation threaten their territories. Portugal’s president congratulated the winners, calling Indigenous peoples essential to the global climate balance.

The prize, one of the largest for climate action and selected by a jury chaired by Angela Merkel, will help the alliance expand its Indigenous-led model of rainforest protection and community education.

The award ceremony in Lisbon drew climate leaders and Indigenous representatives. Foundation officials said the unrestricted funding lets winners scale what already works, rather than chasing donor-driven projects.