A $200,000 global environmental sustainability competition for young people launches this week with the aim of unearthing great ideas and making them a reality
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, April 21, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Earth Prize is a global initiative that connects young people and schools with a worldwide eco-system of university students, sustainability experts, and change-makers, to develop ideas into solutions that can make a genuine difference.Open to ages 13 to 19, the prize gives schools and their student teams access to bespoke sustainability education content to help champion learning and inspire young talent. Mentoring from university students and guidance from sustainability experts, and change-makers will give teenage students the opportunity to explore and build upon their ideas while they gain vital, real-world skills. A panel of world-renowned sustainability experts is being assembled to adjudicate The Earth Prize, along with a cohort of high-profile ambassadors to provide a springboard for each young innovator’s game-changing ideas.
Peter McGarry, founder of the Earth Foundation
“The world needs fresh, unpolluted ideas, and young people’s capacity for creativity is a huge, untapped asset. We want to help bridge the gap by supporting and inspiring students to imagine real-world solutions, then connecting them to mentors and experts to accelerate positive change.”
Philip Clegg, Bradfield College
“For young people, being able to take action, create something and have the potential for financial as well as emotional reward is a powerful combination. I think The Earth Prize has come at exactly the right time. It’s an opportunity for different schools and different people from across the world to work together and bring about real change.”
The winning team and school will receive $100,000, divided between the school and students, for environmental projects and scholarships, respectively. Three finalist schools will receive grants of $25,000 each. The remaining $25,000 will be equally divided between The Earth Prize Mentor of the Year, chosen by participating students, and The Earth Prize Educator of the Year, selected by Professor Mario Salomone, secretary general of the World Environmental Education Congress Network and founder of the original Earth Prize. The Earth Foundation Alumni Association, a community of inspirational individuals and organisations, will then be available to all participants in The Earth Prize, offering further mentorship, networking, internships, and professional placement opportunities.
Angela McCarthy, chief executive of the Earth Foundation
“Every single school I’ve spoken to, whether in Bhutan or Berkshire, has talked about their students’ passion for environmental sustainability. We want to give young people a platform for that passion, and for their ideas. The Earth Prize is about bringing their unrestricted thinking to the table, helping them collaborate, be inspired, informed, to build networks and – ultimately - turn great ideas into action.”
Lesein Mutunkei, footballer, youth climate activist, 2020 eco-hero and founder of Trees4Goals
“When you want to see change the important thing is to act now. The planet needs us to. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how small of an impact you may think you’ll have, we can all make a difference. One of my heroes is Professor Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan professor who won the Nobel Peace Prize. She told the Story of the Hummingbird, a bird who didn’t want to sit by and watch a forest burn and it’s what inspired me to start Trees for Goals. The Hummingbird was small, but the story shows that even a small bird can make a difference. We should all be part of this. We don’t need to wait until we finish school, or until we’re 20, or 30. The important thing is to take that first step and start making a difference.”
Schools can pre-register from April 2021 and registration opens on 1 September. Student ideas must be submitted by 31 January. The ten finalists will be announced in February 2022 before being paired with their ambassadors for a social media engagement campaign to raise awareness of their idea between 7 Feb and 4 March. Winners and runners-up will be announced on 26 March 2022.
For more information, visit theearthprize.org.
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