PITTSBURGH—Covestro L.L.C. and the United Nations are looking for nominations for its third Young Champions of the Earth prize, an award for environmental entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 30.
Each of the seven winners of the 2019 program will receive $15,000 seed money to invest in their projects, as well as invitations and funding to attend U.N. meetings, training and mentorship, according to a Covestro news release.
"With climate change threatening the existence of our natural ecosystems and societies," Covestro said in the rlease, "the competition's organizers hope to find individuals who see beyond the crisis and have the courage to invent the future by carving their place in a new, greener economy."
Submissions will be accepted online through March 31.
A global jury will select the seven 2019 winners. Each winner will be expected to implement their idea and keep U.N. Environment and partners updated on their progress by producing videos and blogs.
"The Young Champions of the Earth prize combines two ingredients that are critical to save our planet—innovation and the drive of young people," Joyce Msuya, UN Environment acting executive director and assistant secretary-general of the UN, said in a statement. "We need both in equal measures to address the planet's most pressing environmental challenges."
Covestro is a producer of high-performance polymers and part of the global Covestro business.