The Earth Prize 2026 officially opens registrations for the world’s largest environmental solutions competition and ‘ideas incubator’ for young people aged 13-19 years. Designed to empower the next generation and increase ‘climate hope’, The Earth Prize supports young people with 1:1 mentoring, learning resources and funding to scale up.
The Earth Prize is run by The Earth Foundation, a non-profit based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was founded during the School Strike for Climate in 2019. Climate anxiety is a widespread reality for young people today, with a recent study showing that 59% are very or extremely worried about the environment.
Since 2021, The Earth Prize has empowered almost 15,000 young people across 160 countries and territories. Each year, teams take on challenges that adults have yet to solve, often inspired by climate issues they’ve witnessed first-hand - from water pollution, to wildfires, to forest degradation. Some students apply with fully formed ideas, while others develop a concept into a working pilot with the guidance of a mentor. Seven Regional Winners are then selected by an expert jury to represent Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania & Southeast Asia, each receiving $12.5K to advance their solution, before a public vote decides the Global Winner. 
Hand-embroidering seven of The Earth Prize Winner flags
As part of this tradition, each Regional Winner becomes the custodian of a special Earth Prize flag - hand-embroidered from recycled sailboat cloth - which they look after for one year, passing from one generation of changemakers to the next.
Previous winners have created pioneering, never-seen-before solutions - from team PURA’s water filter that removes antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria from our waterways, to team Thermavault’s salt-powered electricity-free fridge for medical supplies. The top teams have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider US, Business Insider Africa, Tech.eu, The Financial Times and Euronews, with many pursuing patents for their inventions.
Team PURA, the Global Winners for 2025, were covered extensively in the media for their pioneering water filter solution, including in Forbes
This year’s edition sees two exciting updates. The first is the launch of the wider Earth Alliance community on Discord, a social messaging platform, designed for students, educators, experts and anyone interested in sustainability as an online hub where they can connect, share resources, find opportunities, attend talks and workshops, and support one another in making a positive impact. The second is that new participants in The Earth Prize will be guided step-by-step by TEPi, an AI chatbot brought to life as a fun animated Earth avatar.
Peter McGarry, Founder of The Earth Foundation, explained further:
“As we enter the fifth year of The Earth Prize, I’m more excited than ever to see the incredible ideas emerging from the seven global regions. This year, we’re introducing AI into the application process and expanding support for participants, including our Earth Alliance community on Discord and upcoming events around the world. Every year, students continue to surprise us with solutions that are groundbreaking, innovative, and pioneering - we can never underestimate the incredible impact they’re capable of having."
For those wondering whether they should apply, 17-year-old Sumedh Kotrannava, who won The Earth Prize in 2024, explains:
"One way to describe The Earth Prize is unparalleled. The opportunities that you’re going to get from competing in this competition are just going to drive your passion and your project to the next level. I think our generation is starting to really spark change and innovate new solutions, and I’m really excited to see in the next twenty years or so what we are going to do.”
