On 28 January, the United Nations announced a call for nominations for the 2019 Young Champions of the Earth – the organization’s most prestigious prize for brave environmental entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 30 with a big idea for the world’s future.

Each of the seven winners will receive $15,000 seed money to invest in their projects, $9,000 to invest in communicating and marketing their projects, invitations and funding to attend high - level UN meetings to share their big ideas with the world, and tailored training and mentorship.

Launched in 2017, the Young Champions of the Earth prize is inspired by the long - running Champions of the Earth Award, which remains the highest environmental honor of the United Nations. By engaging young visionaries, the UN Environment seeks to engage the next generation of change-makers and thought-leaders as they set out to build a brighter world. “The United Nation’s Young Champions of the Earth prize combines two ingredients that are critical to save our planet - innovation and the drive of young people. We need both in equal measure to address the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges,” said Joyce Msuya, UN Environment Acting Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.

With climate change threatening the existence of our natural ecosystems and societies, the competition’s organizers hope to find individuals who see beyond the crisis and have the courage to invent the future by carving their place in a new and greener economy. The 2019 Young Champions of the Earth will be given a platform to become change agents, protect the environment through their revolutionary ideas and radical innovation for people, planet and even for profit.

Previous UN Young Champions of the Earth have spearheaded bold, brave ideas addressing numerous sustainable development goals through high and low - tech innovations: from indigenous rooftop gardens tackling air pollution, to a mobile application which tracks and assists in influencing sustainable consumption off users till receipts; from farming coral to restore degraded reefs, to eco - conscious apparel; from diving centers powered by citizen science, to a novel technology which filters and converts 90% of particulates from diesel generators into printer ink.

The UN is now searching for the next Young Champions of the Earth for 2019. Following an open call for applications, a global jury will select the seven 2019 winners. Each winner will be expected to implement their big idea and keep UN Environment and partners updated on their progress by producing vlogs and blogs.

Interested environmentalists between the ages of 18 and 30 are encouraged to submit their big ideas here by midnight GMT on 31 March 2019.

For more details visit: http://web.unep.org/youngchampions/