The World Around’s Young Climate Prize winners will be the next generation of change-makers for climate action.
In the brave new world we find ourselves in, challenging existing paradigms and ways of thinking is critical to solving the present challenges that face us. Young people are at the forefront of this change, as it’s easier for us to radically imagine a new world given the lack of time to have been beaten down into accepting the way the world is now. It is so important for young people to be allowed to actually put into practice what they want to see in the world, which is why the Young Climate Prize has been created.
This initiative, created by the New York City organization called the World Around, exists to incentivize young people in architecture and design to create innovative solutions to mitigate climate change. The program works by offering mentorships to the young people selected; these mentors are leaders in their respective fields and offer guidance and support to help them realize their visions.
After the initiative concludes, three of the selected 25 finalists will showcase their work at The World Around’s annual Summit at the Solomon R Guggenheim museum on Earth Day, 22 April 2023. There are five categories this year, and those are Words Matter, Creating Connections, Innovators and Inventors, All About Water, and Radical Reuse. The list of the 25 finalists is as follows.
Words Matter
Alfonse Chiu, researcher
Project/research topic: examining neocolonial flows of tropical fruits
Location: Singapore
Mentor: Paola Antonelli, MoMA curator and author
Aziba Ekio, poet
Project/research topic: a poetry collection called The Colour Green
Location: Nigeria
Mentor: Sumayya Vally, architect
Pamela Elizarrarás Acitores, writer and photographer
Project/research topic: a project focused on climate change called Climate Words
Location: Mexico
Mentor: Mariana Pestana, architect, researcher and curator
Mangaliso Ngcobo and Sam Harding, writers and editors
Project/research topic: TWIST magazine
Location: South Africa
Mentor: Susan Sellers, founding partner and executive creative director of 2×4
Nastia Volynova, researcher
Project/research topic: examining changes in forms of labour due to climate change
Location: Russia
Mentor: Carson Chan, curator and writer
Aida Namukose, photographer
Project/research topic: documenting women working in the food industry in Uganda who are affected by climate change
Location: Uganda
Mentor: José Esparza Chong Cuy, curator
Creating Connections
Marilita Quintana Molina, artist
Project/research topic: collecting plastic waste from her local region in Chile with the intention of using it to improve her community
Location: Chile
Mentor: Abraham Cruzvillegas, artist
Shariffa Amolo Anguria, activist
Project/research topic: research focusing on the impacts of traditional gold mining
Location: Kenya
Mentor: Joar Nango, architect and artist
Raihan Rabbannee Hendrawan, facilitator
Project/research topic: a project focused on engaging young people in climate action
Location: Indonesia
Mentor: Emma Osore, co-managing director at BlackSpace
Sophia Tabibian and Lulu Goulet-Hofsass, community leaders
Project/research topic: an online climate hub for global activists
Location: USA
Mentor: Bruce Mau, designer
Sahithi Radha, activist
Occupation and research topic: developing an e-waste collection and recycling initiative
Location: India
Mentor: deputy director of education and public engagement at The Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, Cyra Levenson
Hannah Segerkrantz, product designer
Project/research topic: the use of hemp as an eco-friendly building material through an open-source design
Location: Estonia
Mentor: Wael Al Awar, principal of Waiwai design
Innovators and Inventors
Jin Gao, researcher
Project/research topic: researcher examining the survival of bees in volatile climate conditions
Location: China
Mentor: Alder Keleman Saxena
David Andrés Vega Monsalve, artist
Project/research topic: using virtual reality to spotlight the effects of flooding in Pakistan
Location: Colombia
Mentor: Camila Marambio, curator
Ichor Joshua Keghnen, mechanical engineer
Project/research topic: a device to monitor pollution in boreholes and water wells
Location: Nigeria
Mentor: Max Fraser, design writer
Chris Vrettos, energy advocate
Location: Greece
Project/research topic: a project focusing on Greece’s first all-solar community.
Mentor: Aric Chen, curator
Esther Olalude, designer
Location: Nigeria
Project/research topic: creating affordable sanitary towels from recycled waste
Mentor: Etta Madete, architect and co-founder and director of Zima Homes
All About Water
Namra Khalid, researcher
Location: Pakistan
Project/research topic: producing Pakistan’s first socio-climatic map to address floods in Karachi, Pakistan
Mentor: Henk Ovink, environmental leader
Anushuka Shahdadpuri, designer
Location: India
Project/research topic: developing a network of ways to accelerate clean water in India
Mentor: Noura Al Sayeh Holtrop, architect and curator
Joseph Nguthiru, chemist
Location: Kenya
Project/research topic: a biodegradable plastic made from water hyacinth
Mentor: Jan Boelen, designer
Radical Reuse
Gabriela Angelina Bernal Ibáñez, engineer and architect
Location: Mexico
Project/research topic: a research project investigating the use of recycled panels in Mexico
Mentor: Ensamble Studio, architecture practice
Foday David Kamara, researcher
Location: Rwanda
Project/research topic: a social enterprise in Rwanda with the aim of reducing plastic waste
Mentor: Dominic Leong, co-founder of Leong Leong Architecture
Moemen Sobh, architect
Location: Egypt
Project/research topic: the development of a leather from fish skin
Mentor: Nelly Ben Hayoun, designer
Mohammed Dimma Mawejje, designer
Location: Uganda
Project/research topic: using agriculture waste and second-hand clothes to create bags, earrings and dresses
Mentor: Isabelle Quivelly, head of Creative Shop, Facebook UK
Stanley Anigbogu, designer
Location: Nigeria
Project/research topic: a project providing access to energy for students and refugees in Nigeria
Mentor: Harry Pearce, designer
