The Earth Prize, the world’s largest environmental competition and “ideas incubator” for young people, officially opened registration for its 2025 edition on September 1, inviting participants aged 13 to 19 to come up with innovative solutions to tackle pressing environmental issues.
With mentoring support, educational resources and $100,000 in funding, The Earth Prize enables young people to turn their ideas into impactful eco-projects.
The Earth Prize, founded by the Earth Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization, was inspired by rising climate anxiety among young people, with 59 percent expressing significant concern about the environment.
Peter McGarry, founder of the Earth Foundation, jumped into action after witnessing the climate strike by students in 2019.
“Environmental anxiety is very real,” said 2024 finalist Rajas Nandas, whose team developed the mushroom-based water filter.
Related: The teenage finalists for the 2024 Earth Prize have been announced
Since its inception in 2021, the competition has involved more than 10,000 young participants from 154 countries and awarded a total of $500,000 to promising teams.
Past winners have pioneered technologies such as flood forecasting systems and eco-friendly diapers.
Notably, the 2023 winning team, Delavo from Turkey, developed a filter to recycle toxic laundry wastewater and is now working with a national manufacturer to bring their invention to market.
This year’s edition introduces a new format, with seven winners from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Oceania selected by a panel of global experts.
Each regional winner will receive $12,500 to further develop their project, with a global winner selected by public vote.
“Providing 1:1 mentoring from the moment of registration will be a huge added value for every student who enters. And finally, getting people involved in voting for the overall winner is beyond exciting.”
Applications are open until November 30.
Read more: Study: Climate anxiety a key driver for climate action