The 2021 Student Innovation Challenge

As our second season of Coastal Insights has drawn to a close, all of us here at Raincoast are feeling inspired and hopeful about the future. 

This season has brought us all towards a clearer, deeper vision of the BC coast. We have had the opportunity to learn from some of the leading scientists in our province and deepened the context of our understanding through learning from some First Nations Elders, who hold the knowledge, stories and rich cultural history of our beautiful coastal home. 

The program has also introduced us to some of the next generation of scientists, stewards and knowledge keepers. We are inspired by the tenacity, bravery and optimism of young people like Robin Buss, Mercedes Robinson and Coastal Insights host Peter Underwood. 

We know that they are not the only young people in this province striving to see a better future for our environment. Many schools, teachers and students have reached out to us to let us know what they are doing in their own home communities to help educate, inspire and be a voice for change. 

We want to showcase the many innovative and inspiring ways young people are committing to the education and conservation of local wildlife, their habitats and culture throughout coastal British Columbia and beyond. 

That’s why Raincoast Conservation Foundation is excited to be partnering with the Take A Stand: Youth for Conservation to create the 2021 Student Innovation Challenge. 

We are asking students in grades 3-12 to let us know what they have been doing to help create positive change in their local community. 

We are looking for submissions in the form of videos, short presentations, or other creative artistic expressions which express your commitment to protecting and conserving our environment.

These submissions will be showcased at a virtual showcase event. A panel of judges will have an opportunity to provide feedback and support, and awards will be given out for some of the most inspiring submissions, including the grand prize of a brand new stand up paddleboard and other amazing prize packages from Helly Hansen, Patagonia and Ecologyst. 

Submissions for the 2021 Student Innovation Challenge are due May 21, 2021. Our virtual showcase event will be held on June 4, 2021. 

For more information on the contest or to submit your entry, please check out the contest page through Take A Stand for Conservation. 

We are honored to showcase the work of our young environmental advocates, and look forward to seeing what students have been up to in this unusual school year. 

You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.