Meet The Winners

Gustavo Blanco

The Iris Prize is awarded to an established project, with the potential to be replicated and scaled. The Uru Uru Project combines indigenous knowledge with science to restore territories and combat pollution in Uru Uru Lake, caused by rapid urbanisation and local mining. The project uses native Totora plants, traditionally used for construction, medicine, and fodder, as natural decontaminators.

Sierra Leone

Aruna Bangura

The Tiwai Honey Initiative

The Stem Prize is awarded to a project that exists on a small scale. The Tiwai Honey Initiative by Bangs Circular is revitalising bee populations on Tiwai Island. The project currently manages over 130 beehives, serving 3 of the island’s 8 communities. The hives placed in buffer zones provide an alternative income to illegal logging and poaching, with profits shared among cooperative members.

Guatemala

Jabel Gabriela Gómez Esquit

Guardianas del Estuario

The Seed Prize is awarded for a new idea that has not yet been established. Guardianas del Estuario trains fisherwomen in mollusc aquaculture and resource monitoring using Indigenous knowledge previously excluded in research and policy-making. The project supports women’s incomes, promotes mangrove restoration, and fosters intergenerational community collaboration.

Indonesia

I Ketut Darma Dipta

LIQUIFY

The Iris Prize is awarded to an established project, with the potential to be replicated and scaled. LIQUIFY provides innovative water solutions, empowers youth through education, and raises awareness about the global water crisis. The solution involves implementing recharge wells, water catchment systems, and gravity filters in communities that lack access to clean drinking water.

Nepal

Dipisha Bhujel

Project Sparsa

The Stem Prize is awarded to a project that exists on a small scale. Project Sparsa produces ecologically friendly menstrual pads made from upcycled banana fibre, minimising plastic waste and contributing to local environmental preservation. Project Sparsa enables women to manage their period’s sustainability, supporting menstrual awareness campaigns and challenging societal taboos.

Kenya

Nusra Juriah Abed

Project Mila

The Seed Prize is awarded for a new idea that has not yet been established. Project Mila aims to address the problem of unsustainable waste management practices in Mombasa, Kenya, by converting black soldier fly larvae into organic waste for protein feed and nutrient-rich fertiliser. Nusra’s solution will contribute to sustainable agriculture by providing an environmentally friendly alternative to livestock and aquaculture.

Indonesia

Sam Bencheghib

Sungai Watch

The Iris Prize is awarded to an established project, with the potential to be replicated and scaled. Sungai Watch is a youth-led initiative based in Bali, working to keep plastic waste away from the oceans. Funding from The Iris Prize will help Sam scale his solution from Bali, throughout Indonesia and beyond.

Kenya

Steve Misati

Youth Pawa

The Stem Prize is awarded to a project that exists, but only on a small scale. Funding and support from the Stem Prize will go towards training the local community to plant over 5000 mangrove seedlings along the Indian Ocean in Kenya, restoring the ecosystem and enriching the local biodiversity.

Malawi

Maria Kameta

Mudzi Cooking Project

The Seed Prize is awarded to a new idea that has not yet been established. This project aims to counter deforestation and improve community health by developing a fuel briquette and energy-efficient cooking stove for households in the Chisinga community.

The Iris Prize 2023 Awards

How we choose our winners.

Each year, we award three prizes to outstanding individuals or groups who best embody the spirit of The Iris Project – championing the protection and restoration of nature and the rights of those who defend it. For The Iris Prize 2023, we received over 350+ applications from young people in 63 countries. Using detailed scoring criteria and collective decision-making, the Advisory Panel and Iris Project team reviewed every application and put together a shortlist of 20 projects for the expert judging panel to review.

The winners receive grant funding, peer-to-peer mentorship and individualised capacity-building training to help develop their projects. Find out more about the capacity-building program here.

Through the judging process, it became evident that this year’s projects in the Iris Prize competition have illuminated the profound understanding and commitment of young minds towards addressing the pressing issues of climate and inequality. It’s a reminder that our youth not only recognise the urgency of these global challenges but also possess the ingenuity to forge transformative solutions. It’s time for us to shift from speaking for our future generations to empowering them to speak and act for themselves. The Iris Project aims to be a catalyst for this change, and the recognition of these outstanding projects marks a significant step in that direction.

Aliza Ayaz, UN Goodwill Ambassador, Iris Prize Judge