Young people can win a share of a £20,000 prize pot for projects tackling climate change. The Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity, has opened applications for its annual youth innovation competition. Now in its third year, the contest offers young people the chance to launch their environmental projects with funding and mentorship.
Previous winners include a clothes upcycling workshop, a campaign to protect ancient trees, and exhibitions of wildlife photography. Six individuals or small groups, aged between 16 and 25, will each win up to £6,000 in project funding and receive mentorship from industry experts. The aim is to help these young innovators deliver projects that address the climate crisis.
Moiz Siddiqi, a previous winner, said that winning the Woodland Trust's competition was "genuinely life-changing." The competition helped him launch his business , Me-eco, which is a 'mindfulness-based' seeded paper product. Mr Siddiqi said: "It’s that first major step in taking a risk with an idea and working to bring it to life, except with this risk, you’re supported and backed by the Woodland Trust, their youth team, and amazing mentors.
"It allowed Project Me-Eco to develop from a basic concept to a fully-fledged start-up business with the foundation it needed. "It helped us in understanding what we needed for our next steps, what worked and what didn’t, all in a supported space." The top 18 applications will be invited to take part in worksh.