2026: 1st PLACE
Harley Fatahillah Yodhaloka Sunoto, a 14-year-old coastal conservationist, founded "Mangrove Warrior" to protect Surabaya's vulnerable fishing communities by planting tens of thousands of mangroves and developing sustainable products with local women to support the coastal economy.

2026: 2nd PLACE
Lily Valentina Niederhofer, an 11-year-old swimmer and ocean advocate, raised over $12,000 through an open-water Atlantic swim and successfully lobbied U.S. and European lawmakers to ban industrial octopus farming.

2026: 2nd PLACE
Hao-Han "Hank" Wu, a 13-year-old environmental leader from Taiwan, founded the "No Butts Alliance" to combat microplastic pollution using AI data mapping, smart drainage inventions, civic activism, and national policy advocacy.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Neha Blunt, a 13-year-old software developer and environmental activist, created the "Water Saver" web app to gamify household resource conservation, saving over 20 million gallons of water and educating over one million people.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Juan Sebastián Ávila Pérez, a 14-year-old Colombian birdwatcher and inventor, created "Wings of Inclusion" (Alas de Inclusión) to build accessible vibrotactile tech tools that allow deaf youth to "feel" birdsong and connect with nature.

2026: HONORABLE MENTION
Noah Beshto, a 10-year-old documentarian and wildlife advocate, created "Noah's Diary" to produce nature documentaries across eight countries, raise awareness for wildlife rescue, and research birds and plastic pollution.

2026: 1st PLACE
Amaira Kapoor, a 16-year-old innovator, founded "Project Vaayu" to build low-cost evaporative cooling units from upcycled terracotta cups, lowering classroom temperatures in under-resourced schools by up to 10°C during extreme heatwaves.

2026: 2nd PLACE
Hala Sharafeddine, a 16-year-old innovator from Beirut, founded "Code for Earth" to empower young women across MENA and South Asia with coding skills to build tech-driven solutions for local environmental challenges.

2026: 2nd PLACE
Jack Aronian, a 16-year-old scientist and filmmaker from New York, launched the H5N1 Prevention Initiative to produce educational films on bird flu and establish a national biosecurity network for wildlife sanctuaries.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Gunisha Kaur, a 16-year-old researcher from Ludhiana, founded "Buzzing Blooms" to build sensory-friendly, chemical-free pollinator gardens across India and Thailand, combining urban ecological restoration with neurodivergent youth inclusion.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Arjun Jain, a 16-year-old urban agriculturist from New Jersey, created "HydroBlossom" to build high-yield soil-less hydroponic systems, donating thousands of pounds of organic produce and influencing local food-system policy.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Terry Yu, a 16-year-old researcher from New Jersey, founded "Students for a Greener Future" to bridge laboratory research with global youth action, building an 18-chapter international network to restore ecosystems and advance environmental science.

2026: 3rd PLACE
Abhiveer Gulati, a 16-year-old activist from Delhi, founded the "NCR Clean Air Campaign" to address environmental injustice by distributing health protection gear, engaging communities, and pursuing legal litigation to mandate municipal accountability for air quality.

2026: HONORABLE MENTION
Stella Hong, a 16-year-old researcher from Virginia, founded "HydroHarvest" to engineer upcycled, zero-electricity hydroponic grow kits, providing food-insecure urban families with low-maintenance, sustainable access to fresh produce.

2026: DR. MARY GRIFFIN-JONES SPECIAL AWARD
Nithya Tammana, an 11-year-old water conservation innovator, leads the global movement "Save Drop," empowering over 450 "Water Warriors" through policy advocacy, grassroots campaigns like #ServeHalfGlass and her open-source moss filter that removes up to 95% of lead from school drinking water.

2026: SHIMON SCHWARZSCHILD SPECIAL AWARD
Spencer Hitchen, a 15-year-old conservationist and nature photographer, leads global efforts to protect Australia's Wallum ecosystem and threatened species like the Glossy Black-Cockatoo through scientific data collection, corporate advocacy and nature education calendars.

2026: FINALISTS
Sisters Nuha Danish and Inaya Zaidi, ages 11 and 15 from Dubai, co-founded "WeGrow" to advance community organic farming, year-round school hydroponics, and surplus food donation drives across the UAE.

2026: FINALISTS
Vaishika Satheswaran, a 12-year-old activist from Abu Dhabi, founded "Tiny Hands" to divert textile waste from landfills by upcycling discarded fabric scraps and retired school uniforms into practical, eco-friendly accessories.

2026: FINALISTS
At 12 years old, Taiwanese activist Ji "Woody" Wu founded "Recloth Kids" to combat fast fashion waste through upcycling workshops, massive recycled art installations and an AI-powered platform designed to educate consumers.

2026: FINALISTS
At 15 years old, Brazilian researcher Isabela Silvério engineered "Orantire," a bio-tire made from orange peel waste to eliminate microplastic emissions, while training hundreds of underserved youth in environmental engineering.

2026: FINALISTS
At 16 years old, Canadian activist Olivia Xing leads "Monarch Missions," a youth organization that advances climate literacy, raises conservation funds, and connects young people directly with local policymakers to advocate for climate justice.

2026: FINALISTS
At 16 years old, Kelly Liu founded "ConServe" to deploy machine-learning models and air quality sensors across underserved California schools, securing air filter upgrades and countywide climate education policy.