One year ago, when Danish wind energy giant Vestas won the Zayed Future Energy Prize in Abu Dhabi and immediately donated the winnings to a new non-profit and the runners-up, the first thing that came to mind for many was that the gift would set a new precedent for winners of the $1.5 million prize. And the second thing that came to mind about the gesture was that it didn't exactly make the 2010 winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, Toyota, look very good. But few predicted what would happen this week in Abu Dhabi when Toyota announced it would be donating its prize winnings from two years ago.

Announced at the outset of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi this week, Toyota said it will use the $1.5 million prize fund to establish a scholarship program for 10 students at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, located at the heart of the home-grown research and development community at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.

Students chosen to receive the Masdar Institute-Toyota Scholarship will write their final Master’s degree thesis on a sustainable mobility topic.

"Masdar Institute is one of the leading research-oriented academic institutions that constantly engage with the youth to develop and implement clean energy technologies," said Nobuyuki Negishi of the Toyota Middle East & North Africa.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize, managed by the Abu Dhabi clean energy company, Masdar, seeks to identify, recognize and reward innovation, leadership, long-term vision and impact on renewable energy and sustainability.

The winners of the 2012 Zayed Future Energy prize will be announced tonight at an award ceremony in Abu Dhabi, at which point we will learn whether Vestas indeed set a new standard for corporate philanthropy at the event, now in its fifth year.

Photo credits: 1. Masdar Institute campus by Tim Hurst; 2. World Future Energy Summit
Note: Tim Hurst's travel expenses to the WFES were covered by Masdar