The Earth Prize 2026: Meet this year’s 35 top teenage teams and their eco solutions

• The Earth Prize is the world’s largest environmental competition and incubator for young people, equipping 13-19 year olds with mentorship, resources and funding
• Since 2021, the prize has reached 21,000 students, across 169 countries and territories, and awarded over $500K to turn ideas into impact
• Each year, 35 top-contender teams are selected as Scholars, representing seven global regions and the most promising youth-led solutions worldwide
• From 11–17 May, seven Regional Winners will be announced, each receiving $12.5K to accelerate their innovation in the real world

GENEVA, Switzerland, 13 April 2026 - The world’s most promising young environmental innovators have been unveiled, as the top 35 teams aged 13–19 years are named Earth Prize Scholars for 2026.

This year’s teams represent seven global regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Oceania and Southeast Asia. Their solutions span a wide range of innovations, from an ocean-cleaning robot, to fog-powered drinking water, and an AI-driven drought predictor.

Now in its fifth year, The Earth Prize has reached over 21,000 students across 169 countries and territories. Previous winners have been featured in leading international media including Forbes, Business Insider (US and Africa), The Irish Times, and UN Today, with several teams advancing their ideas through patents and corporate partnerships.

The Earth Prize is run by The Earth Foundation, a non-profit based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded during the School Strike for Climate in 2019. At a time when climate anxiety affects a majority of young people - 59% reporting they are very or extremely worried about the environment - the Prize provides a pathway from concern to action, equipping students with the tools to develop tangible, real-world solutions.

• NAIYA (Türkiye) – An ocean-cleaning robot that removes and neutralises harmful sea slime to restore marine life
• WTEC Innovators (Lebanon) – Fire-activated beeswax seed pods that protect seeds and release them when conditions are safe for regrowth
• BONTERRA (Türkiye) – Soil restoration beads that slowly release nutrients to help forests recover after wildfires
• Build Hope (Palestine) – Recycling rubble into new building bricks, turning debris into reusable building materials
• Olea-Nova (Lebanon) – Transforming harmful olive oil production wastewater into water-retaining gels for plants

• Plas-Stick (India) – A powder made from waste tamarind seeds that attracts and removes microplastics from water
• EcoFog (India) – A fog-harvesting system that captures clean drinking water from fog without electricity
• Lu Circle (China) – A textile waste platform that helps garment workers turn fabric waste into products and income
• #StopPaperRacism (South Korea) – A campaign helping schools and institutions switch to paper made from sugarcane and agricultural waste instead of trees
• EcoEducators365 (India) – An environmental education programme teaching action through hands-on activities like planting, building, and conservation

• Duinesi (Italy) – Campsite barriers, called ‘Camprotezione’, made from natural materials that help stop campfires spreading into wildfires
• Fluoronet (Czechia) – Light-reactive fishing nets that make lost gear easier to find and remove
• The Green Memory Project (Germany) – A system that stores digital data in DNA instead of energy-intensive data centres
• Eco Purge (Ireland) – A plastic that breaks down safely and releases catalysts to remove existing microplastics
• Sentinel Terra (Albania) – An earth monitoring system that detects early environmental risks using satellite data

• Orbyteens (Panama) – An AI-powered recycling bin that automatically sorts waste and rewards users
• HADA (Brazil) – Biodegradable bandages made with made of aloe vera and chamomile that replace plastic with plant-based alternatives
• JK Sustainable (Brazil) – A soap made from waste cooking oil that funds girls’ education in STEM
• Abelhas Solitárias (Brazil) – A solar-powered bee habitat that regulates temperature and provides food and water for pollinators
• IARA (Brazil) – An initiative connecting women entrepreneurs in the Amazon with investors to scale sustainable, forest-friendly businesses

• Homes for Hornbills (Thailand) – Artificial nests made from recycled materials for hornbill birds that spread seeds and restore forests
• Fern (Vietnam) – Turning industrial denim waste into high-quality products while creating jobs for artisans with disabilities
• Treet (Australia) – A free mobile app that helps young people turn everyday steps into real-world tree planting
• AirJernih (Malaysia) – A low-cost filtration system that removes harmful farm pesticides and fertilisers from water
• WeaveLand (Philippines) – Coconut-based packaging that replaces plastic with materials made from industrial coconut fibre waste

• ADAPT (US) – An AI drought predictor that helps farmers forecast soil conditions and manage irrigation via a mobile app
• DrainZero (US) – A storm drain filter that captures and breaks down microplastics from tire wear before they reach rivers
• Canmore Women in STEM Club (Canada) – A plant-based biofilter that removes toxins from water while growing edible plants
• CoralX (US) – A funding system that uses satellite data to automatically trigger emergency funding for divers to protect coral reefs from heat damage
• SargaTex PR (Puerto Rico) – A biodegradable fabric made from sargassum seaweed used for clothing and footwear

• BookBank Africa (Nigeria) – A student-led network that turns unused school spaces into book hubs, redistributing textbooks via an app to underserved schools
• PUPE Climate Model (Zambia) – A climate prediction model that delivers more precise early warnings for extreme weather
• HewaSafi Innovators (Kenya) – A low-cost vehicle exhaust system that captures emissions using filters made from agricultural waste and algae
• Terraskipper (Egypt) – A robot inspired by the mudskipper fish that crawls across muddy degraded land to monitor soil and plant seeds
• PantiPads (Nigeria) – Affordable biodegradable sanitary pads made from agricultural waste that replace plastic alternatives

Peter McGarry, Founder of The Earth Foundation, added:

The next stage of the competition will see seven Regional Winners announced from 11–17 May, each representing one of the seven global regions and receiving $12.5K to accelerate their innovation. This will be followed by a public vote, with the global winner announced on Friday 29 May.