Here are the five finalists for the 2021 Children’s Climate Prize

Australia, the USA, Brazil and Kenya are the countries from which this year’s finalists all come. We are now presenting the five finalists and their respective projects. Of these five, one will be the final winner, which will be announced on November 8th. The award and financial support of SEK 100,000 is handed out by the Children’s Climate Foundation initiated by Telge Energi, which has always supported young people who drive change in the world.

For the first time in the history of the prize, nominations were received from all six continents. Over 30 countries are represented this year, resulting in hundreds of nominations of young people around the world who are fighting for the environment and climate in different ways. Of the five finalists presented here, one will eventually be the winner of the Children’s Climate Prize and will receive SEK 100,000, a diploma and a medal. This year, the award-winning nature photographer Aishwarya Sridhar from Navi, Mumbai participated in the jury work and comments on the selection of this year's finalists as follows:

– I was totally blown over by the sheer ingenuity and practical application of each of the finalist's projects. Each of them through their projects have addressed real problems which are plaguing our world and they are working to create impactful solutions. Seeing their work it also brought a sense of reassurance that with young people like them leading by example, the future is in the right hands.

The winner will be revealed on November 8th. This year’s Children’s Climate Prize is a digital broadcast that will take place in mid-November shortly after the winner has been announced.

2021 Finalists

Trees For Goals (T4G) - Tackling climate change through soccer.
Lesein Mutunkei, 17 years old, from Nairobi, Kenya

The jury’s motivation:
Deforestation and the depletion of forests account for approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions – the second largest, following fossil fuel combustion. By combining passion for the universal game of soccer with climate work, Lesein presents how to mobilize a large number of people towards combating the negative effects of climate change in a simple, smart and innovative way. Thus, Lesein represents the soul of the award. The program is scalable, ambitious with a clear systemized approach, and has great potential to become a world phenomenon under conducive conditions and the right partners.

Fridays For Future/SOS Amazonia – A megaphone for climate and social justice in Amazonas
Fernanda Barros, 16 years old from Bélém, Pará, Brazil

The jury’s motivation:
With a president and a leadership that actively counteracts what she is fighting for, Fernanda demonstrates courage, strong commitment and perseverance above and beyond the ordinary. It’s not easy to work against a headwind and the jury sees a strong-willed individual who fights for fairness under difficult circumstances that the pandemic has made even more difficult. By increasing and strengthening young people’s awareness and knowledge, Fernanda succeeds in making more voices heard and thus empowers both society and individuals. The states of Amazonas, the rainforest and Brazil are topical issues in the climate debate and affect all of us. Fernanda’s work in this area is therefore not only important locally, but also globally.

AI against forest fires – Where technology predicts and limits the damage of forest fires
Reshma Kosaraju, 15-year-old from Saratoga, California, USA

The jury’s motivation:
Climate change and forest fires mutually reinforce each other and wildfires, today, are in many locations larger, more intense and longer lasting. Forest fires have increasingly become a global and topical issue. Reshma represents the best of youth entrepreneurship: brave, innovative and solution-oriented. Her model uses AI and technology in an innovative and savvy way in order to accurately predict the risk of forest fires while also accounting for the independent variables of climate, weather and human behavior. A clear and scalable business concept, with a global approach to accessibility. This is an example of an extraordinary and creative solution based on a systemized approach.

Class-Action Environment Minister – Tackling climate change in the courtroom
Anjali Sharma, 17 years old from Melbourne, Australia

The jury’s motivation:
Too often, policymakers and leaders make decisions based on short-term financial considerations, even if that can have major negative impacts over a longer period of time. The result may mean that future generations will have to bear the costs. Anjali is a colorful example of the power that more and more young people are flexing to achieve change. And it also shows how young people can challenge entire industries and sectors by using the law. Anjali’s ability to mobilize is impressive and representative of a growing phenomenon in the world. It takes courage to challenge the current power and established structures and succeed in achieving a “duty of care” in a fossil fuel-heavy country such as Australia. Anjali is a major pioneer and her legal wrangling is historic in Australia. She is an inspiration for how young people can press for tangible changes and is therefore a role model for others.

DeepWaste – Technology for better and more precise waste classification
Yash Narayan, 17 years old from San Carlos, USA

The jury’s motivation:
Every year, a lot of unsorted waste is thrown away that is deposited or burned, which contributes to unnecessary emissions. This is a huge problem and represents a challenge for our societies in order to achieve effective waste management. Correctly sorted waste becomes a resource and forms the basis for the circular flow of resources. This is a measure that is absolutely necessary in order to achieve more sustainable consumption and is an example of something that we can all contribute to. A resource-efficient circular economy can be perceived as complex and difficult, but here Yash has found a good and interesting solution with great innovation. DeepWaste is an impressive project, self-teaching, accessible, scalable, and the development potential is enormous. Yash and DeepWaste are right on time and contribute to increased awareness and knowledge.