THE EARTH PRIZE
PARTICIPANT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Table of Contents
1. General Requirements
2. Timing and Structure
3. Submission Requirements
3.1 Registration Phase (1st September 2025 - 28th February 2026)
3.2 Submissions Phase
3.3 Scholars Phase (16th March - 6th April 2026)
3.3.1 Final Idea
3.3.2 Supporting Materials (optional)
3.3.3 Pitch Video
3.4 Regional Winners Phase (7th April - 10th May 2026)3.4.1 Meeting with the Adjudicating Panel
4. The Earth Prize Referencing Guide
4.1.1 Reference formatting
4.1.2 In-text footnote example
5. The Earth Prize Evaluation Criteria
5.1 Upon Registration
5.2 Submissions Phase5.2.1 Scholars Selection
5.3 Regional Winner Selection5.3.1 Final Idea Review (80%)
5.3.2 Pitch Video (20%) (1-10)
5.4 Regional Winner Selection Confirmation
Glossary of Terms
Adult Supervisor: Participants are encouraged to have an assigned adult Supervisor (teacher/school administrator) for their team in order to register for The Earth Prize. Your teacher will also be in charge of creating the team on The Earth Prize Submission Portal. In case Participants opt-out from teacher supervision, they will need to assign a member of the team as a Team Lead who will be in charge of creating the team on The Earth Prize Submission Portal.
Final Idea: The Final Idea is an improved and refined version of the Fresh Idea which only the Scholar teams are required to complete. It provides a more detailed description of the team’s proposed solution and contains three (3) additional elements that the Participants are required to fill out.
Fresh Idea: The Fresh Idea is the detailed description of the proposed solution students need to work on and submit during the Submissions Phase of the competition. It is structured in eight (8) building blocks meant to help the students elaborate on specific aspects of their project. Students can start brainstorming for their Fresh Idea using the Fresh Idea Canvas.
Regions: The seven regions are the following: (1) Oceania & Southeast Asia, (2) Asia, (3) the Middle East, (4) Africa, (5) Europe, (6) North America, and (7) Central & South America.
Social Media Engagement Campaign: One of the components of the Regional Winners Phase, during which teams are encouraged to create social media content to be shared through The Earth Prize social media channels, with the aim of raising awareness about their Final Idea.
Supporting Materials: Any information (facts, statistics, definitions, etc,) which can help develop and/or justify the team’s Fresh and Final Ideas.
Team: Any individual Participant or group of up to five (5) Participants registered together for The Earth Prize competition.
Team Lead: A team member designated by all members to be responsible for creating the team on The Earth Prize Submission Portal if participants opt out of having a Supervisor. The Team Lead may also have additional responsibilities, such as coordinating mentoring sessions in the Regional Winners Phase and communicating with The Earth Prize team.
The Earth Foundation: The Swiss nonprofit organization planning and executing The Earth Prize.
The Earth Prize Adjudicating Panel: A group of world-renowned experts who will be in charge of judging Participants’ submissions to The Earth Prize competition and determining The Earth Prize Regional Winners.
The Earth Prize Ambassador: An inspiring individual with a strong interest in environmental sustainability who will provide The Earth Prize Regional Winning teams with advice and guidance.
The Earth Prize Mentor: A university student passionate about sustainability and entrepreneurship tasked with answering The Earth Prize Participants’ questions on The Earth Prize online platform and providing advice and support on Participants’ submissions.
The Earth Prize Regional Winner: A team representing each of the following regions—Oceania & Southeast Asia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America, and Central & South America—whose submission has achieved outstanding standards according to The Earth Prize Adjudicating Panel.
The Earth Prize Scholar: The Earth Prize Participant whose submission has reached outstanding standards according to the evaluation criteria set by The Earth Foundation team.
1. General Requirements
Language
Starting with The Earth Prize 2026, registrations and submissions can be made in any language, and an integrated Al tool will be available to support participants throughout the process.
Submissions
Participants are required to enter all submissions through The Earth Prize Submission Portal. Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted. Submissions cannot be changed after they have been submitted.
Citations and References
All submissions must adhere to rigorous standards of citation and referencing for source material, fully acknowledging all data, research, and opinion that is not original, using a consistent system. Participants must follow the referencing standards set up specifically for The Earth Prize and described in The Earth Prize Referencing Guide section of this document (see Section 6).
2. Timing and Structure
The Earth Prize is a multi-phase competition:
2.1 Registration and Submission Phase (1st September 2025 at 12h00 PM CET - 28th February 2026 at 23:59 CET)
- Participants sign-up individually on The Earth Prize website (the deadline to register for The earth Prize 2026 is 10th January 2026).
- Participants get access to online mentoring and learning materials and one-to-one mentoring from The Earth Prize Mentors.
- Team Lead creates the teams and invites Participants to collaborate on the teams.
- Participants submit their Problem Definition and Motivation Statement.
- Participants submit their Fresh Ideas.
2.2 The Earth Prize Scholars Announcement
- All ideas submitted to The Earth Prize that reach outstanding standards, as determined by the final score ranking, will be recognized with The Earth Prize Scholars distinction.
2.3 Scholars Phase (16th March - 6th April 2026 at 12h00 PM CET)
- Scholars work on their Final Idea and Pitch Video from 16th March until the submission deadline on April 6th, 2026 at 12:00 PM CET.
- A mentor from The Earth Prize Team will be assigned to each Scholar Team throughout the final phases of the competition.
2.4 Regional Winners Phase (7th April - 10th May 2026)
- The Adjudicating Panel reviews the Scholar submissions and proposes seven Regional Winners and seven alternates.
- The seven teams proposed by the Adjudicating Panel to be the Regional Winners participate in with the Adjudicating Panel a live Q&A.
- After the interview, the Adjudicating Panel will decide privately whether the interviewed team is the winner or if it's necessary to interview the alternate team.
2.5 The Earth Prize Regional Winners Announcement (11th May - 17th May 2026)
- The Earth Prize 2026 Regional Winners are announced on The Earth Prize website and social media.
2.6 Public Voting Phase (18th May - 29th May 2026)
- Public voting is open.
2.7 The Earth Prize Awards Ceremony (29th May 2026)
- The Earth Prize 2026 Global Winner is announced.
- The three Mentors of the Year are announced.
3. Submission Requirements
3.1 Registration Phase (1st September 2025 - 28th February 2026)
The Earth Prize Website
Participants and Supervisors (teachers) are required to register for The Earth Prize using the online platform www.theearthprize.org by providing the following information:
- Name and email of the Participant
- Name and email address
- Date of birth
- School or Organization name and address
- City/Country
- Parent’s or legal guardian’s email address
Once registration is complete, Participants will have immediate access to The Earth Prize Community on Discord, and they will also be able to access the Submission Portal. On The Earth Prize Community they will find:
- The Earth Prize Mentorship Portal, where they can ask questions to The Earth Prize Mentors.
- The Earth Prize Mentoring Platform: Participants can book a one-to-one mentoring session with The Earth Prize Mentors through The Earth Prize Mentoring Platform.
- The Earth Prize Submissions Portal available from mid-October, where they can work on and submit their project.
The Earth Prize Submissions Portal
The Submissions Portal can be accessed through the “My submission” (for the students) or “My Teams” (for the Supervisors) menu option on The Earth Prize website. Supervisors will need to (a) verify their teacher/administrator/tutor status by uploading their teacher ID (or other pertinent form of ID) as well as (b) confirm each team member’s student status and enrolment in the same school/educational program and the school’s/educational program’s endorsement of the students’ participation in The Earth Prize competition. If Participants opt out of Teacher Supervision, then the Team Lead is responsible to (b) confirm each team member’s student status and enrolment in the same school/educational program and the school’s/educational program’s endorsement of the students’ participation in The Earth Prize competition.
Students will be invited by their Supervisor or Team Lead to collaborate in a team on The Earth Prize Submissions Portal. Each Participant will be required to complete a student verification form with their personal information.
As soon as their team has been created and verified, Participants can start working on their submission.
3.2 Submissions Phase (From Registration Completion to 28th February 2026 at 12h00 PM CET)
To participate in The Earth Prize, you need to confirm your participation by completing your Fresh Idea Canvas in the submission portal and submitting your Fresh Idea.
Follow the steps below to submit your project:
- Log in to the submission portal.
- Complete your Fresh Idea Canvas, ensuring all required sections are filled in.
- Upload any supporting materials or documents as needed.
- Submit your Fresh Idea before the deadline.
For a detailed, step-by-step guide on submitting your project, please click here.
3.3 Scholars Phase (16th March – 6th April 2026 at 12:00 PM CET)
During this phase, Participants will work on the elements listed below.
| Scholars Phase | Submission required from the team |
|---|---|
|
3.3.1 Final Idea
Teams will continue working on and improving their Final Idea submission, which will include the three (3) new elements.
1. Impact Metrics (in 300 words or less)
Impact Metrics are used to measure and track the change that has or will occur as a result of the team’s proposed solution. The team’s answer should address the following elements:
- How will you measure the positive impact your Final Idea will create?
- Describe as precisely as possible how you have measured the impact of your implemented Final Idea.
2. Scaling Potential (in 300 words or less)
Here, the the team should think about the following elements:
- How do you plan to grow your Idea?
- How can the Final Idea be replicated on a bigger scale?
3. Negative Impacts (in 300 words or less)
In every new project, it is important to think about the negative consequences that an idea might have. The team’s answer should address the following questions:
- Does the Final Idea have any negative environmental, social or human impacts?
- Are there solutions to address the possible negative impacts?
3.3.2 Supporting Materials (optional)
Each team is allowed to submit a maximum of three (3) supporting documents (with up to six (6) pages each) that provide additional information (i.e facts, figures, data, graphs, maps, etc.) and that might allow the reviewers to better understand the team’s idea. The supporting materials can be in the following formats: PDF (.pdf); MS Word (.doc); MS Word (docx); MS Excel (.xls); MS Excel (.xlsx); Powerpoint (.ppt); Powerpoint (.pptx); .png; .jpg; and .jpeg.
3.3.3 Pitch Video
The Scholar Teams are required to submit a 90-second pitch video explaining their Final Idea and its expected impact. The video submission can be in the following formats: .avi; .mp4; .mov; .wav; YouTube; and Vimeo.
3.4 Regional Winners Phase (7th April - 10th May 2026)
During this phase, Participants will work on the elements listed below.
| Regional Winners Phase | Submission required from the team |
|---|---|
|
3.4.1 Meeting with the Adjudicating Panel
The seven Scholar teams proposed by the Adjudicating Panel to be the Regional Winners will participate in one-to-one mentoring sessions with The Earth Prize Mentors and Ambassadors. The teams will be required to participate in a 20-minute a live Q&A. Use of translation devices or translator services is allowed. Students are required to include in their presentation the role each team member played in the development of the Final Idea.
Presenter:
The team is free to choose the number of speakers from their team. External individuals are not allowed to take part in the presentation.
Notes:
The use of paper, electronic notes, and cues during the presentation is allowed and will not influence the final grade of the presentation.
4. The Earth Prize Referencing Guide
Submissions to The Earth Prize must adhere to rigorous citation and referencing standards, properly acknowledging external data, research, and opinions in order to avoid plagiarism. Source referencing on The Earth Prize Submissions Platform must follow a particular footnote-based referencing standard specific to The Earth Prize competition.
4.1 Footnote referencing guidelines
Footnotes will be indicated in numerical order and in parenthesis after the content (paraphrased sentence, quote, data, etc.) to be cited. At the bottom of the submission’s page, Participants will find a box where they can list all their references, according to the corresponding footnote number. Each reference should include key information about the source such as the author, date of publication, title of the source, where to find it, etc. All sources included on the references’ list must match a footnote in the text. If Participants need to reutilize a source, they should simply use the same footnote number. If a specific piece of information is missing (author’s name, date of publication, etc.), Participants should provide enough information for the source to be easily identifiable. These referencing guidelines will be available to Participants on The Earth Prize Submissions Platform as well. Below are more detailed explanations of how to reference each type of source.
4.1.1 Reference formatting
Book
Author’s last name, initials. (Year of publication). Title of Book: Subtitle of the book. Location of publication: Publisher. URL: URL link (if applicable).
Example: (1) David Attenborough and Jonathan Hughes.(2020) A life on our planet: My witness statement and a vision for the future. New York: Grand Central Publishing.Book chapter
Author’s last name, initials. (Year of publication). “Title of the chapter” in Last name and initials of the author/s. (Ed./s) Title of the book: Subtitle of the book. Location of the publication: Publisher.
Example: (2) Vietz, G. J. and Finlayson, B. L. (2017) “Geomorphological effects of flow alteration on rivers” in Horne, A. C., Webb, J. A., Stewardson, M. J., Richter, B. and Acreman, M. (Eds.) Water for the environment: From policy and science to implementation and management. London: Academic Press.Peer-reviewed article
Author’s last name, initials. (Year of publication) Title of the article. Name of the journal, volume number, pp: pages (if applicable).
Example: (3) Matthews, C., Moran, F., and Jaiwal, A.K. (2021) A review on European Union’s strategy for plastics in a circular economy and its impact on food safety, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 283.Website article
Author’s last name and initials. (Year of Publication) Title of Article. Title of Website. [Online] URL: URL link. (Accessed: date when the website was accessed)
Example: (4) Toy, R. (2021) A legendary Arizona river is under threat. National Geographic. [Online] URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/a-legendary-arizona-river-is-under-threat (Accessed: July 19th, 2021)Website
Name of the website. Title of Section. [Online] URL: URL link. (Accessed: date when the website was accessed)
Example: (5) Example without author/date of publication: (5) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Food loss and food waste. [Online] URL: http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/flw-data (Accessed: 10th August 2021)Online newspaper article
Author’s last name, initials. (Year of publication) Title of article. Name of Newspaper. URL (if applicable)
Example: (6) Sheriff, L. (2021) The scientists fighting to save the ocean’s most important carbon capture system. Washington Post. URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/07/05/kelp-forests-destroyed-sea-urchins/Online PDF report
Author’s last name and initials OR Name of the organization. (Year of Publication) Title of the report. [Online] URL: URL link. (Accessed: date when the website was accessed)
Example: (7) Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future. [Online] URL: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report_Updated_1-12-17.pdf (Accessed: 10th August 2021)Dictionary entry
Dictionary’s name. Word/Entry. Name of Newspaper. URL (if applicable)
Example: (6) Sheriff, L. (2021) The scientists fighting to save the ocean’s most important carbon capture system. Washington Post. URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/07/05/kelp-forests-destroyed-sea-urchins/Video (Youtube, documentary, etc.)
Author’s last name and initials OR organization’s name (Publication date) Title of the video. Title of the website. URL: URL link
Example: (8) National Geographic (28 August 2017) Causes and effects of climate change. Youtube. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiAPodcast
Host last name, initials. (Host). (Date of publication). Episode title (No. Episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast name. URL: URL
Example: (9) Figueres, C. (Host) (July 3rd, 2021) Climate, fossil fuels and the future of Shell with Ben van Beurden. (No. 108) [Audio podcast episode] In Outrage + Optimism. URL: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vdXRyYWdlYW5kb3B0aW1pc20ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M/episode/ZTE1ZGI3NDUtYjgzYy00NTA5LWE4MTAtYTFlYWNlYjNlODE5?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjA08GA2-7xAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ
4.1.2 In-text footnote example
This is an example of how the in-text footnote referencing style would look.
Plastic waste is one of the main environmental challenges of our time. The production and disposal of plastic is extremely harmful for the environment. (1) Moreover, most plastic does not fully disappear; it turns into tiny particles that can be swallowed by farm animals or fish and enter our food system. (2) Plastic waste ends up primarily in landfills and the ocean and causes severe damage to ecosystems. Shampoo bottles, an everyday plastic staple in most homes, greatly contributes to our plastic waste issue. Plastic shampoo bottles take an average of 450 years to decompose, and in the US, over 552 million shampoo bottles end up in our landfills annually. (5) Since our recycling efforts are ineffective, the negative consequences of shampoo bottles need to be tackled at the source in order to combat plastic waste.
References
(1) Harrabin, R. (2018) Should we burn or bury plastic waste? BBC News. URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43120041
(2) UN Environment Report (2018) Banning single-use plastic: lessons and experiences from countries. URL: https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
(3) Fisher, R. (2020) Nohbo, the Sustainable Company Taking Plastic Out of Your Bathroom. URL: https://globalshakers.com/nohbo-the-sustainable-company-taking-plastic-out-of-your-bathroom/
(4) Life Unpacked (2021) The Environmental Impact of Shampoo. URL: https://www.lifeunpacked.com/blogs/resources/the-environmental-impact-of-shampoo
(5) Brennan, K. (2019) An ocean of hope in a shampoo bottle. National Geographic. URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/partner-content-ocean-of-hope-in-a-shampoo-bottle
5. The Earth Prize Evaluation Criteria
The Earth Foundation is committed to ensure that the submissions’ evaluation is fair, open, unbiased and aligned with our vision and mission. All successfully submitted ideas will be reviewed by The Earth Foundation team and subsequently by The Earth Prize Adjudicating Panel, a group of highly renowned experts with backgrounds in corporate sustainability, academia, entrepreneurship, conservation, and communications. The evaluation process will take place in three (3) different stages. The evaluation criteria for each stage of the competition are outlined below.
5.1 Upon Registration
All teams that have successfully completed the Registration process on the website by 30th November will automatically enter the Submissions Phase of the competition.
5.2 Submissions Phase
5.2.1 Scholars Selection
At the Submissions Phase, all Fresh Ideas submitted will be evaluated by The Earth Foundation team and a carefully selected panel of external reviewers according to the following criteria:
| Criteria | Definition |
|---|---|
| Applicability (1-5) |
|
| Innovativeness (1-5) | The proposed idea’s ingenuity and originality.
|
| Scalability (1-5) |
|
| Relevance (1-5) | There is a real-life need for the proposed solution.
|
| Inspirational Impact (1-5) |
|
5.3 Regional Winner Selection
The Earth Prize Scholars are asked to submit their Final Idea and Pitch Video which will be forwarded to the Adjudicating Panel for the Regional Winners’ selection. The Adjudicating Panel will review the Final Ideas using specific criteria and weighting.
5.3.1 Final Idea Review (80%)
| Criteria | Definition |
|---|---|
| Applicability (1-10) |
|
| Innovativeness (1-10) | The proposed idea’s ingenuity and originality.
|
| Scalability (1-10) | The potential prospect of expanding the scale of the idea at a local, national or global level.
|
| Relevance (1-10) | There is a real-life need for the proposed solution.
|
| Inspirational Impact (1-10) |
|
5.3.2 Pitch Video (20%) (1-10)
The videos must be the students’ own work, in the students’ own words, and may include personal experiences and thoughtful observations. Videos must reflect that the student has carefully examined and thought through their Final Idea. The video submissions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
| Criteria | Definition |
|---|---|
| Content | Does the video clearly explain the problem, solution, and impact of their Idea? |
| Structure | Does the video follow a logical sequence? |
| Engagement | How well does the video draw in the audience and keep it engaged? |
5.4 Regional Winner Selection Confirmation
The seven teams that have been preselected by the Adjudicating Panel to become the Regional Winners Earth Prize Scholars will participate in a team presentation to the Adjudicating Panel with a live Q&A. Presentations will allow the Adjudicating Panel to gain a better understanding of each Final Idea and confirm their selection. In case the Adjudicating Panel is not satisfied with one or more of the preselected teams, the alternate teams will be interviewed.
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