Contest rules

Eligibility and limitations 

To be eligible for the Young Champions of the Earth award (hereafter referred to as “the award”), applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30. 

Additionally, each applicant must have at least six months of prior experience working on their environmental project. 

Individuals who submitted applications in previous cycles of the competition are entitled to do so again. However, only one entry is allowed per person per year. 

Employees of lead and support organizations, i.e., United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Planet A and CoalitionWild, and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate in the Award. The term “immediate family” of such employees includes spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, whether as “in-laws” or by current or past marriage(s), remarriage(s), adoption, co-habitation or other family extension, and any other persons residing in the same household as such employees, whether or not they are related to them. 

Release 

In participating in the Award, each participant waives any and all claims of liability against UNEP, its employees and agents, the Award’s sponsors and their respective employees and agents for any personal injury or loss that may occur from the conduct of, or their participation in, the Award, or from the use of any prize monies or participation in any related trips or activities. Participants who are selected as Award winners must sign an official waiver form provided by UNEP before their names are announced as such. 

Use of personal information  

By participating in the Award, all participants and winners who are allowed to do so by law agree to grant UNEP permission to use their names, photographs, voices, videotape and related materials in connection with the promotion of the Award and to waive any claims to royalties, rights or remuneration associated with any such use. 

Taxes 

Each winner is solely responsible for reporting any prize money he/she receives to his/her tax authorities and for paying any and all applicable taxes and/or other expenses related to the Award. 

Intellectual property 

By participating in the Award, each applicant confirms that the ideas presented in his/her application are wholly his/her own. 

In applying for the Award, each applicant agrees that, if he/she is selected as a finalist, he/she, if required, will make public on the Young Champions of the Earth website a written description of his/her project as well as a short video explaining the project components. 

UNEP, Planet A and any other sponsors of the Award will not seek to derive any commercial or economic benefit from the ideas or inventions included in any of the Award applications, whether such ideas or inventions have been presented by winners or by non-winners. 

Miscellaneous 

Each winner must submit proof of eligibility to participate in the Award and sign UNEP’s release form to claim any prize associated with the Award. UNEP may substitute prizes, amend the Award rules or discontinue the Award at any time. UNEP disclaims any responsibility to notify participants of any aspect related to the conduct of the competition. 

Applicable rules 

The conduct of the Award is governed by the applicable regulations and rules of the United Nations and UNEP, including those regarding the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, which UNEP enjoys.