UNEP Young Champions of the Earth Competition

Become a Young Champion

If you believe in a bright future for our planet, then you just might have what it takes to become a Young Champion of the Earth

If you have a powerful idea to protect or restore the environment; if you have a strong track record of instigating change; if you are unafraid of failure; and if you believe in a bright future for our planet, then you just might have what it takes to become a Young Champion of the Earth.



Apply

Selection process

The selection process has three rounds.

The open call for applications will run until 31 March 2020. Each applicant will be required to submit responses to a series of questions and upload a referee’s letter of endorsement.

Finalists—drawn from every world region—will be short-listed by UN experts and requested to submit short videos pitching their big ideas.

In the final stage, a Global Jury will review the World Finalists’ big ideas and choose seven Young Champions of the Earth. The winners will be publicly announced and invited to attend the Champions of the Earth Award Ceremony.

The winners will be expected to implement their big ideas and act as ambassadors of cause at speaking opportunities, while providing regular progress updates in the form of videos and blogs that will be shared on this website..

Eligibility & Limitations
To be eligible to enter the 2020 Young Champions of the Earth competition, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30 on 31 December 2020.

Additionally, each applicant must have at least 6 months of prior experience working on their environmental project.

Individuals who submitted applications in the 2019 cycle of the Competition are entitled to do so again in 2020. However, only one entry is allowed per person per year.n.

How to apply?

You can submit your application until 31 March 2020 via the application portal on the website. You will need to identify a referee who can vouch for the viability of your idea and for you as an individual. Once you submit your application, no further edits or changes will be possible.

The Prize

In 2019, seven Young Champions of the Earth will be selected from each global region: one from each of Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, West Asia, and two from Asia and the Pacific. Each winner will receive the following:

US$15,000 in seed funding;
US$ 9,000 in funding to communicate and capture your idea and broadcast the stories of hope and change that you’re catalyzing on the ground.
Attendance at a high-level UN meeting;
An introduction to dignitaries at the Champions of the Earth Award Ceremony;
Publicity and recognition through interviews and online and global media;
Access to a community of Covestro experts offering insights and mentoring; and
Participation in an entrepreneurial training program.
 The 2019 Young Champions will be required to share their journeys through blogs and vlogs posted on this website for a period of up to one year.

Last date:31 March 2020

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