Key details
- Host: CEC
- Open to: North Americans
- Target: Youths
- Deadline: 5th July, 2021
Applications for the CEC Youth Innovation Challenge 2021 are ongoing.
About the CEC Youth Innovation Challenge
The 2021 Challenge invites North American youth to propose innovative solutions that will assist communities in becoming more resilient and adaptive to climate change, as well as assist in fostering equal access to a healthy environment for all, particularly those who are underserved and vulnerable in Canada, Mexico, and the United States (including isolated, remote, and Indigenous communities and peoples).
Also read: Rise Up Youth Champions Initiative 2021
Since 2017, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation has organized an annual Students Innovation Challenge, inviting youth from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to propose innovative ideas and solutions for enhancing North America’s environment and economy. This is the fifth annual CEC Youth Innovation Challenge, and the theme is “Climate Change and Environmental Justice Innovations for Resilient Communities.”
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be 18 to 30 years old on the date they upload their solution. The solution may be uploaded by an individual or a team of submitters.
- Participants must be residents of Canada, Mexico, or the United States.
- Participants must demonstrate that their innovative solution supports community resilience to climate change and climate-related issues, and directly yields equitable environmental benefits and resilience for local communities (e.g., by addressing environmental injustices affecting communities of color, low-income, and Indigenous communities).
- By submitting a solution, participants confirm that they are the sole author or have obtained written permission from all team members who contributed to developing the solution before uploading it to the submission platform.
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) staff, Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) members, CEC, JPAC, and TEKEG immediate family members, and Youth Innovation Challenge judges or immediate family members of judges (siblings, children, grandchildren) are not eligible to enter.
Additional Considerations
- Possible innovations could consider the use of traditional ecological knowledge, nature-based solutions, and support for sustainable innovation and emerging clean technologies, among others, and/or consider local knowledge and transform that knowledge into an innovative action or solution.
- Priority will be given to those solutions from young entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs (an entrepreneur within an existing organization) that demonstrate a direct impact on promoting equal access to a healthy environment, particularly from social and economic perspectives.
Benefit
Applicants of the CEC Youth Innovation Challenge
- will compete for up to $15,000 CAD per country in seed funding, a chance to present their solutions to North America’s top environmental officials and an opportunity to engage in a youth-led networking and mentorship event. Up to two winning submissions per country will be selected.
- In addition, winners will receive technical advice from experts associated with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to help advance their solution.
Also read: Tech for our Planet Challenge Program for Startups 2021
Application Procedure
- Read the following Challenge guidelines carefully
- You will need to create a free Submittable account in order to submit these forms. Here is a quick guide on how to get started (available in English only)
- You can save a draft of your work if you would prefer to finish filling out the form at a later date.
- They will follow up with you about your submission by email. Be sure the email address you used to sign up for your Submittable Account is one that you check regularly.
- Reach out to Submittable’s Customer Support team with any technical questions at [email protected] (Support available in English only)
For more information visit the official website of CEC Youth Innovation Challenge