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EcoAction Green Innovators Challenge

Introduction

A dynamic competition format where students don’t just submit ideas—they test, refine, and showcase them with expert support. The competition will span over 4 months, and provides exclusive opportunities & step-by-step guidance to incubate projects. It is more than a competition, it is a program that measures the participating projects more in the sense of continuous growth in the real world, than in the sense of a competition.

Key Upgrades to Your Project

  • Phased Competition → More than a one-time submission; winning projects evolve with mentorship.

  • Live Showcase → Competition participants practice their pitching skills (Shark Tank for sustainability).

  • Implementation Support → Funding + hands-on help for winners to launch projects.

  • Community Voting → Public / peers engage with projects, boosting visibility of projects.

Judging Criteria 1

Judging Criteria Phase 1

  • Urgency - Clearly defines a specific environmental issue with data / local relevance

  • Innovation - Solution is unique or improves significantly on existing approaches

  • ​Proof of effort - Shows prototypes / surveys / images / evidence of community interest

  • Clarity - Proposal is concise, compelling, and jargon-free

Judging Criteria 2

Judging Criteria Phase 2

  • Milestone Completion - Hits all targets to refine and improve the pilot project

  • Adaptability - Pivots based on feedback / workshop

  • Community Engagement - Evidence of outreach (social media / website / offline event)

  • ​Resourcefulness - Leverages mentorship effectively to refine project and collect feedback

Judging Criteria 3

Judging Criteria Phase 3

  • Impact Potential - The project has clear growth metric, including its progress in the duration of this competition, and how the pitch envisions it to grow in the future.

  • Feasibility - There is detailed budget / timeline, which have evolved from the initial project proposal in Phase 1, to the pitch in Phase 3.

  • Presentation - The pitch is confident and compelling, it helps attract sponsors and partners.​

Competition Phase 1 - Application Open

Submission Materials

  • Project Proposal (Introduction, Mission & Vision, Executive Summary, Goals & Objectives, Project Timeline, Need for Support, Team)

  • 90-second elevator pitch (Video / Editing)

  • What support do you need for this project? How can we curate the events and workshops to your need?


Categories

  • Tech & Innovation (solar-powered devices, applications...)

  • ​Grassroots Action (community gardens, recycling programs...)

  • Art & Storytelling (documentaries, eco-art installations...)

Competition Phase 2- Bootcamp

All participants receive

  • Written feedback from judges according to the criteria

  • Invitation to online workshops on pitching + impact measurement...


Advance & Refine projects

  • Mentorship: Matched with peers / experts

  • ​Feedback: Collect customer feedback to improve

  • Partnership: Secure 1 community partner​

  • ​​Progress Check-In: Submit 1-page report

Competition Phase 3- Elimination Round

Top 5 compete and present

  • 5-minute live pitch / pre-recorded video with live Q&A

  • Interactive exhibit (prototype demos, art galleries...)

  • Public Voting: Online votes determine a winner + runner-up


​Awards to Winning Teams

  • Funding: $100 - runner-up project | $200 - winning project

  • ​Partnership (optional): Top 5 sign MOU with EcoAction Magazine

  • ​Peer engagement: Participants may connect post-competition to merge their projects and form teams to execute their projects

  • Boosted visibility: Top 5 featured on EcoAction Magazine​

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