The Earth Prize 2027 is a free international competition for teenage students, typically aged 13-19, who design solutions to environmental challenges, with USD 100,000+ in total prize money and USD 10,000 for each of seven regional winners. At Youth Works Hub, we went through the official page and FAQ and set out every detail below. This is a competition run by The Earth Foundation and is not part of Erasmus+ or the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).
A Worldwide Competition for Young Environmental Problem-Solvers
The Earth Prize is organised by The Earth Foundation, a Swiss-based NGO dedicated to youth innovation and environmental sustainability. The competition is open to teenage students (typically ages 13-19) worldwide who want to design impactful solutions to environmental challenges. Teams register, learn through The Earth Prize website and The Earth Foundation Community, develop their ideas and submit their projects through the submission portal. Throughout the competition, teams gain access to learning materials, mentors and feedback. Solutions can be technological, scientific, entrepreneurial or community-based.
Prize Money: USD 100,000+ in Total
🥇 Regional Winners (×7): $10,000 each
🎓 Scholars (×35): $500 each
🚀 Continuation Fund (×12): $500 each
🧑🏫 Mentor of the Month (×12): $500 each
🍎 Educators (×10): $500 each
Free to Join, and Not an Erasmus+ or ESC Programme
💶 Participation in The Earth Prize is free for all students and schools, with no registration fee
🚫 The competition is not part of the Erasmus+ programme or the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), and no Erasmus+ or ESC grant, travel reimbursement or pocket money is attached to it
🏆 The money on offer is prize money awarded to winning teams and individuals, not a participation allowance
Who Can Take Part
🌐 Teenage students (typically ages 13-19) from anywhere in the world can participate, with entries from 169 countries and territories
🧒 Teams can have up to 5 students, and single-member teams are welcome too
🏫 Schools can submit as many teams as they like, as long as each team works independently on its own project
🧑🏫 Educators are no longer required: students may now form and submit a team independently
🧭 If a team has members from different regions, the team follows the region of its team lead for participation purposes
How the Competition Works
Teams create a team account on The Earth Prize website, learn through the website and The Earth Foundation Community, develop their ideas and submit the project through the official submission portal provided by The Earth Prize, which was listed as available soon. Credentials from last year are no longer valid: new login details must be created for both The Earth Foundation Community and the submission portal. The Team Lead is the student responsible for coordinating the team's work, inviting teammates to join the submission portal, communicating with the organisers and submitting the final materials.
The Earth Prize Blueprint: What a Submission Contains
The Earth Prize Blueprint is the detailed, validation-first submission each team completes. Instead of starting with the idea, it asks the team to show evidence that the problem is real, confirm it with real people, build and test something, and only then present the proposed solution. A complete submission typically includes seven parts.
🔍 The Problem: a short explanation of the environmental problem, backed by evidence that it is real, such as a study, a government or NGO report, a credible news article, official statistics or, where formal data is not accessible, a photo, a screenshot or evidence from interviews and informal data collection
🗣️ Dig Deeper, Problem Discovery: evidence that the problem is widely felt, including who the team talked to, why, and what surprised them or changed their thinking, for example a direct quote, a conversation summary or survey results with names or roles
💡 Your Idea: a description of the proposed solution and how it responds to what the team heard, including whether something similar has been tried elsewhere and whether the team checked for existing patents, trademarks or copyright
🛠️ Create: a photo or video of something the team has made, such as a sketch, model, mockup, prototype or demo, plus the challenges faced and what the team would change; results or data from testing can be included
✅ Validate Your Solution: evidence that people have tried the solution and what they said, or, if it has not been tested yet, a clear explanation of the barrier (cost, access, technical complexity) and the plan to get feedback once it is solved
📋 Implementation & Funding: the team's next 2-3 steps, who they need on their side, and a specific, itemised breakdown of how they would allocate the USD 10,000 prize money
🎥 The Pitch (Video): a 60-90 second, one-continuous-take, unscripted video covering the problem, what the team did and what is next
Prototype and Referencing Requirements
🧪 A prototype is required in the sense that the Create section needs a photo or video of something you have made or developed so far; it does not have to be impressive or finished, and a sketch, a cardboard model, a mockup, a basic app or even a test that did not work all count
📚 Submissions must follow rigorous citation and referencing standards, properly acknowledging external data, research and opinions to avoid plagiarism
🔗 Source referencing on The Earth Prize Submissions Platform follows a footnote-based referencing standard specific to the competition, explained in the Participants Submission Guidelines
The Earth Foundation Community on Discord
The Earth Foundation Community is the official Discord community of The Earth Prize, a space for students to connect, collaborate, access announcements and interact with mentors and staff. Joining is optional but highly encouraged, because it provides access to updates, support, community interaction, workshops, events and other opportunities for youth.
If Discord is blocked or unavailable in your country, you can still fully participate. After registering you receive all essential information by email, and you can connect with mentors outside Discord through live Q&A sessions organised by The Earth Prize team and through the official contact form provided after registration.
🌍 More youth opportunities like this one are listed in the Others category on Youth Works Hub
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate in The Earth Prize?
Teenage students, typically aged 13-19, from anywhere in the world who want to design impactful solutions to environmental challenges. Teams can have up to 5 students and single-member teams are welcome.
Is there a cost to participate?
No. Participation in The Earth Prize is free for all students and schools.
Do I need an educator to take part?
No. Educators are no longer required to participate or to create a team, and students may form and submit a team independently. Schools can still submit multiple teams.
Do I need a prototype?
Yes, but it does not need to be polished. The Create section requires a photo or video of something you have made or developed so far, and a sketch, cardboard model, mockup, basic app or even a failed test all count.
Where do I register and where do I submit my project?
You register on The Earth Prize website, where you create your team account. Projects are submitted through the official submission portal provided by The Earth Prize.
Can I use my credentials from last year?
No. Previous credentials are no longer valid, and you must create new login details for both The Earth Foundation Community and the submission portal.
Is Discord required?
No. Discord is optional but encouraged. If it is unavailable in your country, you still receive essential information by email and can reach mentors through live Q&A sessions and the official contact form.
Deadline
⏳ As soon as possible!
Link
🔗 The Earth Prize: https://www.theearthprize.org
🔗 Official FAQ: https://www.theearthprize.org/faq
