Press Release: Global Youth Harness Creativity to Protect Oceans!

Submissions for 2025 Youth Innovation Challenge Double

[Taipei, September 10, 2025] The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) of the Ocean Affairs Council, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), organized the 2025 Global Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP). This year, the competition attracted 300 submissions from 64 countries, doubling both the number of participating countries and entries compared to last year, and demonstrating strong global interest and innovative energy of youth in ocean conservation.

The three winners of this year’s challenge are Luis Felipe Rosas Rosales from Peru, Ledama Masidza from Kenya, and Sehani Madhushika Sewwandi from Sri Lanka. Each will receive a USD 1,000 prize and an invitation to Taiwan to attend the award ceremony and participate in the Asia Marine Debris Workshop, sharing their innovative solutions for marine debris management and fostering international collaboration. The competition focuses on UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, highlighting three main areas: marine debris, marine biodiversity and conservation, and public-private partnerships.

OCA Director Lu Shiau-Yun expressed: “We sincerely thank all participating youth for turning their creativity into concrete actions to protect our oceans, injecting positive energy into the blue future of our planet.” OCA emphasizes that the oceans are closely connected to humanity and are a shared global asset. They hope young people will apply innovative thinking to propose solutions to ocean-related environmental challenges and take concrete actions toward cleaner and more sustainable oceans. All youth are warmly invited to join this global effort and use their creativity to protect our shared blue home.

 “The surge in participation in this year’s Youth Innovation Challenge shows that young people aren’t just worried about our oceans—they’re ready to lead the way in protecting them,” says NAAEE Executive Director Judy Braus. “Through this partnership, we’re helping turn that passion into real solutions that can make a lasting difference for marine ecosystems around the world.”

The three winners for this year have proposed the following innovative challenges:

Luis Felipe Rosas Rosales | Peru
Guardianes de la Cuenca is an educational innovation based in the Peruvian Andes that teaches young people how ocean protection begins in the mountains.

Ledama Masidza | Kenya
Ocean Guardians: From Classrooms to Reefs is a marine education and coral restoration program aimed at empowering coastal youth in Kenya to become future ocean stewards.

Sehani Madhushika Sewwandi | Sri Lanka
The Marine Guardians Hub is a program that would integrate marine conservation directly into Sunday school education, creating a faith-based environmental education (EE) program that empowers children aged 6–16 to become marine stewards.

Learn more about the winners and finalists: https://bit.ly/2025-YIC-Winners

Additional information:

About YIC
The GEEP Youth Innovation Challenge invites applicants from 15 to 30 years of age to propose a solution that addresses a marine conservation issue. Solutions can incorporate a variety of approaches but must include environmental education. Solutions must be innovative, feasible, and informed by research.

About Taiwan OCA
The Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council is the competent authority for implementing the Marine Pollution Control Act and the category of marine wildlife specified in the Wildlife Conservation Act. The OCA is also in charge of the businesses relating to marine nature landscapes and nature monuments as specified in the Culture Heritage Preservation Act.

About NAAEE
For more than five decades, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has served as the professional association, champion, and backbone organization for the field of environmental education (EE), working with EE professionals across United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as globally, to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement to create a healthier and more sustainable future.