● Winning change-makers were awarded cash prizes; with first, second, and commendation 3rd, 4th and 5th prizes at Rs 50,000, 30,000, and 25,000, respectively
Participant entries were divided into two categories: junior (classes from 9th up to 12th) and senior (graduation/postgraduation). The first prize in the senior category was grabbed by Project TamiraSES from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment for advocating for river restoration and rejuvenation of Thamirabarani. The second prize went to Team Nirmiti, St Joseph’s University for making natural cleaners called bio-enzymes to combat the disposal issue of toxic household cleaning products into the water bodies, while the third was fetched by Team Polyfueler, Sershah Engineering College, Sasaram that utilized an innovative machine for converting plastic waste into fuel.
In the junior category, the first prize for the Youth for Earth was grabbed by Project Neerja, Tribal Residential School, Rohile, Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra. Their ground-breaking initiative is dedicated to watershed development, constructing continuous contour trenches and loose bold structures. They addressed the problem of severe soil erosion in Rohile village, which is a heavy rainfall area. The second prize was fetched by ICONIC-BacWP, The Iconic School Bhopal making biodegradable sanitary pads aiming to drive systematic change for menstrual hygiene and proper waste decomposition. They used readily available natural resources like water hyacinth, bagasse, and papaya fiber for making napkins. The third position was acquired by Project Passionately Natural from TVS Academy, Hosur, which advocated organic farming with the aim to create kitchen gardens minimizing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides towards a sustainable food system.
There were also commendation prizes of Rs 25000 each for 3rd, 4th and 5th rank holders in both categories with a cash value of Rs 25,000 each. The 5th ICSE encompassed 17 special thematic sessions, that revolved around the different aspects of its core theme: Educating for Climate Action and Sustainability.