Empowering youth in environmental action

While our planet continues to face pressing environmental issues such as climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss, youth are increasingly taking action in their lives and within their communities to make a positive impact. The Student Innovation Challenge is an opportunity to encourage youth to undertake environmental and education projects and to celebrate their efforts and achievements.

Take a Stand: Youth for Conservation and Raincoast’s Salish Sea Emerging Stewards education program share the goal of inspiring youth to become environmental stewards and take an active part in creating positive change, and we are excited to relaunch the Challenge and see the incredible work youth undertake in their schools and communities. Focusing on the themes of local wildlife and habitats, Indigenous cultures and history, climate change, or human connections and impacts, the goal of the Challenge is to motivate and inspire youth to make a positive impact in their community, celebrate the creativity, ingenuity and initiative of youth, and to energize them to continue taking action.

Past entries

Previous participants have undertaken environmental community projects, such as building nesting boxes for at-risk northern saw-whet owls, and creating community and pollinator gardens. Some projects have had public education goals, such as the 2022 Grand Prize Winner Lola, who built a website highlighting the lack of access to drinking water in some Indigenous reserves. Many others used art and creativity, such as an educational stop-motion video on ocean plastic pollution. Past projects have come in the shape of class efforts, individual projects as part of school-wide fairs, and entirely solo endeavours. No effort is too big or small to make an impact and enter into the Challenge.

The 2026 contest

In 2026, we are encouraging youth to take action and participate in the Student Innovation Challenge. Projects will be entered in one of three categories for judging: Grades 5-7, Grades 8-12, and post-secondary for ages 18-25. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges from Raincoast and Take a Stand based on originality and creativity, potential impact towards conservation or awareness, feasibility to put their strategies into action, and overall impression. Prizes will be awarded for the top of each age category, as well as for the Grand Prize winner, along with many special mention prizes.

Rules and entry form

To enter, read the official contest rules document (PDF), download and fill the Student Innovation Challenge entry form (PDF), and submit your project and form to kermode [at] sfu [dot] ca. You can find more information about the Challenge here.

Deadline is May 31, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.