Meet These Teenage Inventors From The Earth Prize

Meet these teenage inventors from The Earth Prize
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Meet these teenage inventors from The Earth Prize. Image: Timon Bachmann

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Meet these teenage inventors from The Earth Prize

“Environmental anxiety is very real”, says 17-year-old Rajas Nandas, a teen based in the UK, “but I do think The Earth Prize is making a difference in the sense that it gives some hope.”

The Earth Prize has quickly become known as the world’s largest environmental competition and ‘ideas incubator’ for young people. It empowers 13-19-year-olds with mentorship and $100K funding for their bright eco solutions.

Since 2021, the prize has received applications from over 10,000 young people across 154 countries and territories. Teenagers all over the world are joining forces to tackle some of our planet’s toughest eco challenges, all with the support of expert mentors who guide them through the development of their inventions. 

From technological softwares to physical products, the range of solutions created by the young applicants cover topics such as plastic waste, water and air pollution, overconsumption, deforestation, drought, and more. The teams have been featured in large news publications such as EuroNews, Business Insider and UN Today, and even after winning the prize, they continue to apply for patents and roll out their solutions in the real world. 

This year’s edition will see 7 ‘Regional Winners’ chosen by a jury, representing the seven continents of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Oceania. Excitingly, one final ‘Global Winner’ will be chosen via a public vote.

As we ramp up for The Earth Prize 2025, now is the perfect time to look back at the top teams of previous editions and celebrate these incredible young people and their solutions:

FloodGate (Winners 2024)

George, Shubhan, Sumedh and Reichen from North Carolina were increasingly seeing flooding take over their region and felt powerless to halt the damage it caused to property and their community. On discovering that over 240 million people face the devastating impacts of floods worldwide, they began to wonder why there was not an accessible flood prediction and detection system available for use. 

Sparking the idea for FloodGate, this team of four created a pioneering flooding prediction and warning technology. Based on an interactive 3D flood model, which will soon become an app, their solution can be used to support local governments, agencies and individuals as they plan efficient evacuation and relief operations. This technology has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide and empower vulnerable communities with the information they need to protect themselves. 

2024 Winners team FloodGate 2 of 4 team members George Cheng and Reichen Schaller
2024 Winners team FloodGate 2 of 4 team members George Cheng and Reichen Schaller. Image: Timon Bachmann

Delavo (Winners 2023)

This all-girl team won The Earth Prize in 2023, having experienced water scarcity in their region of the Tigris River basin, in Türkiye. The teenagers named Yagmur, Avjin, Damla and Irmak were determined to come up with ways to save water and prevent water pollution, not only locally but on a global scale. They soon discovered that laundry machines discard harmful microfibers into water systems, meaning that every load of laundry across the world sheds 50 litres of toxic waste water into the soil and groundwater. They thought that there has to be a better way to manage something as habitual as washing your clothes. 

Together they created an easily implemented solution, the “ECaundry” device – a filter that can be installed in washing machines. The integrated hollow ultrafiltration tubes and carbon filter treat and reuse laundry waste water, incredibly saving more than 90% of laundry wastewater. Their solution not only protects the environment but also supports communities impacted by water pollution. 

‘‘Delavo’’ means freshwater in Latin and clean up and wash in Kurdish. Today, the team is applying for a patent and also working with a national washing machine manufacturer to implement their solution across the country. 

SensoryAI (Finalist 2024)

Ryan was travelling to a tennis tournament when he saw on television a devastating fire engulfing the hills behind his house. Unable to contact his family to make sure they were safe at the time, this experience compelled him to create a real-time warning system for wildfires and other natural disasters.

Ryan’s invention journey began when he remembered a heat detector he made for a fifth-grade school project. This soon became the basis for a first prototype, which went through various iterations and was entered into competitions to get feedback and develop further.

In 2024, Ryan entered The Earth Prize, where support from mentors and experts provided invaluable guidance in refining his project. This encouragement helped him stay motivated to continue developing his solution alongside his school and sports commitments. Today, his final solution incorporates artificial intelligence to detect and warn communities of natural hazards, including landslides, oil spills, and wildfires. The system is now being tested in the real world, with Ryan launching a pilot involving live fire testing with the OC Fire Department.

SensoryAI Ryan Honary presenting his wildfire prediction technology to OC Fire Department
SensoryAI Ryan Honary presenting his wildfire prediction technology to OC Fire Department. Image: Timon Bachmann

A global vote – calling you!

The Earth Prize 2025 is already underway, with a new cohort of applicants already developing their promising eco solutions. There are three important dates to remember if you’d like to follow their progress.

Firstly, mark your diaries for April 1 through April 7, 2025, to find out who will be representing your continent (Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, Middle East, North America, and Oceania) when the Seven Regional Winners are announced. Then, set an alarm to have your say in the global Public Vote from Monday, 7th April. Finally, get ready to celebrate the worldwide winner being crowned on Tuesday, 22nd April, Earth Day.

To stay updated and find out what this year’s teams are working on, follow The Earth Prize on instagram, X and LinkedIn!

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