2024 Winners – The Iris Project

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.

The Runners-up

The Iris Prize Runners-up

$3,000

The Stem Prize Runners-up

$2,000

The Seed Prize Runners-up

$1,500

In adition to their grants, each runner-up will receive an invitation to join CoalitionWILD’s 6-month Leadership Development and Capacity-Building EXCELerator program and monthly group peer-to-peer mentorship sessions.

Nigeria

Stanley Anigbogu

LightEd

Stanley Anigbogu’s project, LightEd, effectively connects waste management with energy supply solutions utilising innovative technology to convert electronic and plastic waste into solar-powered charging stations and educational hubs. Addressing the dual challenges of energy poverty and environmental degradation in African communities.

Philippines

Jann Vinze Barcinal

Dulungan Conservation and Eco-learning Hub

Dulungan Conservation and Eco-learning Hub focuses on community-led restoration efforts, fostering collaboration between people and nature. It combines educational initiatives with practical restoration efforts and provides alternative livelihood solutions, addressing both environmental and socio-economic issues.

Mexico

Andrea Villarreal Rodriguez

The Viaje al Microcosmos de Nuevo León

The Viaje al Microcosmos de Nuevo León harnesses the power of citizen science and art to foster a sense of shared responsibility and empower their community through monitoring of river health, influencing public policy with up-to-date information about the state of our waterways. Through their innovative Field Diary templates they invite the user to document the various characteristics of waterways, including sensory attributes like color and movement, as well as bioindicators to track water quality.

Canada

Alexander Yevchenko

Cultura

Cultura is an app, which was developed in collaboration with local communities to enhance agricultural efficiency and support farmers. They have implemented their own algorithm into the app, which gives farmers insight into ideal planting, fertilization, and harvesting times while reducing their waste, live weather alerts, as well as financial information tracking and visualization.

South Sudan

Mayen Chol Mach

The Chareco Team

By introducing modern briquette charcoal made from waste materials like coconut shells and sawdust, the project aims to reduce tree cutting and environmental degradation.

Indonesia

Miguel

Aqua Revive

Aqua Revive is an innovative method that aims to enhance river water quality by introducing effective microorganisms using mud balls as carriers. By establishing a thriving microbial colony, this solution outcompetes and suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria.

The 2024 Awards Trailer

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How we choose our winners.

Each year, we award nine 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 – three winners and six runners-up. For The Iris Prize 2024, we received over 1000+ applications from young people in 97 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 22 projects for the expert judging panel to review.

“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

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