Education Today Education Today Magazine
A global competition seeking good sustainability ideas from young people has launched, offering schools access to mentors, experts, sustainability education content and $200,000 in prize money.
The Earth Prize, open to students aged 13 to 19, aims to help young people understand how to take a great idea and make it a reality. Students can compete individually or as part of a team of up to five. A worldwide network of university students, sustainability experts, and change-makers will assist in developing ideas into solutions that can make a genuine difference. Bespoke sustainability education content is provided for schools, and participating students will be able to access a pool of university student mentors to help research and inform their ideas.
Ten finalists will be selected by a panel of adjudicators and will be partnered with a celebrity ambassador to conduct a social media campaign to raise awareness of their idea before the final winners are selected. This focus on real-world skills is intended to boost young people’s entrepreneurial abilities and give them insight into what it takes to promote an idea.
The winning team and school will receive $100,000 and three finalist schools will receive grants of $25,000 each. The remaining $25,000 will be awarded equally to The Earth Prize Mentor of the Year and The Earth Prize Educator of the Year. Winners and runners-up will be announced on 26 March 2022.
The Earth Foundation Alumni Association, a community of people and organisations working in sustainability, will then be available to all participants in The Earth Prize. The network aims to offer further mentorship, networking, internships, and professional placement opportunities to enable young people to explore their career options. For more information on the competition, the bespoke educational content and to pre-register, visit theearthprize.org.
