Sustainability Awards
Students can make a big impact on the world, and people are taking notice. From private enterprises, to non-profits, and federal agencies, there are numerous awards available to recognize students who are making a difference. The award programs take many forms including essay contests, poster art, and homemade videos, and cover various facets of sustainability.
The awards listed below are examples of just a few of the many available:
Action for Nature International Young Eco-hero Awards
Who is eligible? Students around the world between the ages of 8 and 16.
Focus: Any kind of creative environmental project (research projects, teaching, preservation projects, etc).
Brower Youth Awards
Offered by Earth Island Institute
Who is eligible? Students, ages 13 to 22.
Focus: Achievements in environmental and social justice advocacy.
Garden Crusader Awards
Who is eligible? Any individual improving the world through gardening.
Focus: Planting trees and flowers, growing food, creating new green spaces, and teaching their friends and neighbors about the rewards of gardening.
Global Action Awards
Offered by NetAid, an initiative of Mercy Corps
Who is eligible? High school students in the United States.
Focus: Students must have organized and led a project that has impacted people in poor countries, or raised awareness about global poverty in their own communities.
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
Who is eligible? US or Canadian students between the ages 8 and 18 nominated by adults.
Focus: Half of the winners have focused on helping their communities and fellow beings; half have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment.
Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education
Who is eligible? High school students.
Focus: Students who demonstrate an in-depth understanding of key issues in international affairs and the global economy through essay and multimedia options.
President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA)
Offered by the Environmental Protection Agency
Who is eligible? Kindergarten through 12th grade students sponsored by an adult.
Focus: Encourages individuals, school classes, summer camps, public interest groups and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and positive community involvement.
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards
Who is eligible? Groups from K-12 schools, (not individual students).
Focus: Projects that protect and preserve the environment.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
Offered by Siemens, Discovery Education, and NSTA
Who is eligible? Teams of students in grades 6-8.
Focus: Identify an environmental problem in their community and research and recommend a reproducible environmental improvement program. Teams then provide an explanation about how other communities across the country can launch similar environmental improvement programs.
For more award listings see:
North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)