UNEP Environment Young Champions of the Earth Program 2026 (seed funding & funded trip to high-level UN meeting) – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: 31 March 2026.

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026 UNEP Environment Young Champions of the Earth Program. The Young Champions of the Earth, launched in 2017, is the flagship youth engagement initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The award is bestowed yearly to formidable younger individuals from round the world with excellent concepts to defend and restore the setting, and since 2024 it has been applied with the assist of Chris Kemper and in partnership with Planet A.

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the award acknowledges innovators between the ages of 18 and 30 whose work tackles the triple planetary disaster of local weather change; land, nature and biodiversity loss; and air pollution and waste. To assist unleash their potential and scale their initiatives, award recipients obtain funding, intensive coaching, tailor-made mentoring and visibility throughout UNEP’s international platforms.

Eligibility Requirements

• To be eligible for the Young Champions of the Earth award (hereafter referred to as “the award”), candidates have to be between the ages of 18 and 30. 
• Additionally, every applicant will need to have not less than six months of prior expertise engaged on their environmental mission. 
• Individuals who submitted purposes in earlier cycles of the competitors are entitled to accomplish that once more. However, just one entry is allowed per particular person per 12 months. 

Benefits

Young Champions of the Earth are chosen globally. Each winner may have the likelihood to:

1. Grow their expertise and enterprise, together with receiving US$10,000
2. Benefit from mentorship, workshops and entry to a world-wide neighborhood of environmental specialists
3. Build their VIP community at the Young Champions of the Earth award ceremony and different official occasions
4. Gain publicity and international recognition via interviews, talking engagements and worldwide media protection
5. Compete in a pitch competitors for the Planet A grant of up to US$100,000

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNEP Environment Young Champions of the Earth Program