Press Release: Pupils Showcase Creativity in Competition to Tackle Climate Change at London City Hall

• Innovative ideas: Projects included domestic hydro-electric guttering, school uniform upcycling, a plastic-free periods campaign, and gamified apps to reduce littering and increase the uptake of public transport.

• Regional impact: 69 young people gathered at London City Hall on Thursday 2nd July to pitch to a panel of sustainability leaders, with awards presented by Chris Packham and Deputy Mayor Mete Coban.

• Massive scale: The Young Green Briton Challenge supported 5,748 students across 33 schools in the South of England this year, and 13,324 students nationwide.

• Next stop, Westminster: Winning teams will receive £500 in seed funding and expert mentorship before showcasing their progress at the Houses of Parliament in March 2027.

Students and guests, including Chris Packham and Zack Polanski (all photo credits: Jonny Barratt)

YGBC Ambassador Chris Packham, together with Deputy Mayor Mete Coban and YGBC judges Tan Yang Xue (Treeva), Chris Organ (Ecotricity), Natalie Marques (Trainline), Dahlia Nahome (Green Britain Foundation) and Amy Bray (Another Way)

LONDON, UK

From hydro-electric guttering prototypes to plastic-free period campaigns, the innovative green ideas of tomorrow were on full display at London City Hall on Thursday 2nd July, as pupils pitched as part of the Southern Young Green Briton Challenge regional showcase. 

Teams from 17 schools pitched their community-led climate solutions to a diverse judging panel of sustainability experts and business leaders from Ecotricity, Trainline, Another Way, and Treeva. After intense deliberation over video submissions, physical stalls, and live pitches, three schools were crowned the regional winners: 

After much deliberation, teams from Bohunt School Worthing, The Norwood School and Stroud High School were crowned the winners. All three will receive £500 investment to put their ideas into action and have been invited to showcase their progress at the Houses of Parliament in London in March 2027.

🏆 Bohunt School Worthing developed RIDE WISE, a mobile app that gamifies public transport use for young people through rewards and real-time support tools.

🏆 The Norwood School initiated the Oxbow Project, an environmental campaign aiming to protect valuable London wetlands by tackling urban water pollution.

🏆 Stroud High School created Flo4ward, a campaign educating students and parents on the plastic waste caused by period products while encouraging teaching about sustainable options in PSHE.

Bohunt Worthing, The Norwood School and Stroud High School (photo credit: Jonny Barratt)

The runners-up also highly impressed judges with their creativity:

• Dedworth Middle School (Windsor): Grow a Garden, a student-led food-growing programme promoting biodiversity and healthy eating habits.

• Imberhorne School (East Grinstead): Water Warriors, a working prototype of a hydro-electric system retrofitted to domestic guttering to generate electricity from rainwater.

• Chiltern Academy (Luton): Eco Thread, an initiative upcycling school uniforms, old board games, and carnival costumes to reduce community waste.

• Chailey School (East Sussex): Bamboosling, a campaign raising awareness about sustainable cosmetics.

The innovative projects were developed as part of the Young Green Briton Challenge, an exciting national initiative that empowers secondary school students to create entrepreneurial, eco-friendly solutions for their local communities. In this region alone, the challenge has engaged over 5,000 students this year through educational workshops and Dragons' Den-style pitching sessions.

Now in its fourth year, the Young Green Briton Challenge enables young people aged 11 to 16 to design, present, and implement innovative ideas for local climate action. Led nationally by Social Innovation for All CIC and GenEarth CIC, the initiative has supported over 27,000 young people to date.

YGBC is supported by a fantastic network of regional and national partners, including the Green Britain Foundation, Ecotricity, and Trainline and in the south the Connolly Foundation, Sussex Community Foundation, the Boltini Trust, Shanly Foundation, the Adelphi Group, Multi installations and Elevation Advisors. We are actively recruiting new partners to support schools in 2026/27 and supporters of YGBC can also contribute to the current crowdfunding campaign. 

Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy said: 

"It was fantastic to meet these brilliant young innovators and hear their ambitious ideas for tackling the climate crisis. Their energy, creativity and commitment to making a difference is exactly what we need as we work to make London the greenest city in the world to grow up in. By backing young people and championing their ideas, we’re building a greener future for every Londoner."

Natalie Marques, Head of Purpose and Creative Innovation said:

"I loved being a judge, but it was such a tough job! The quality of the ideas on show was phenomenal. All of the students should be so proud of themselves. At Trainline we are really proud to support YGBC as it gives young people the knowledge, skills and opportunity to creatively take action on climate change."

Kat Crisp, Co-Founder of the Young Green Briton Challenge, said: 

“We have been delighted by the support of so many amazing schools and partners across the country, enabling us to meet the incredible demand from local schools and grow our footprint in the region. This showcase was a fantastic opportunity for students to proudly share the amazing projects they’ve developed to address real-world sustainability issues. Every single participant should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”

— ENDS —

Notes to Editors:

• About the Young Green Briton Challenge: The Young Green Briton Challenge supports youth-led climate action by nurturing school students' entrepreneurial skills to tackle the climate and nature crisis. It is run by Social Innovation for All CIC and GenEarth CIC. Find out more: https://www.si4a.net/ygbc 

• Media & Partnerships Contact: Kat Crisp, YGBC Co-founder, kat@si4a.net