Funding

Grant

Entrepreneurship•Remote

RELX Environmental Challenge

RELX

Application Deadline

Closed · July 12, 2026

Reopens ~Jul 2027

Official Page

The RELX Environmental Challenge is an annual prize run by RELX, the London-based information and analytics group. Since 2011 it has funded practical proposals that expand sustainable access to safe water or sanitation, and from the 2026 edition it also funds proposals that improve ocean health. Anyone aged 21 or over may enter, alone, as a team, or on behalf of a company, university or non-profit, and entry is free.

Applications are written proposals submitted through the challenge’s online entry platform. An advisory group of external water and sustainability specialists draws up a shortlist, after which semi-finalists present to a panel of external and internal judges. The money is awarded so the winning project can be launched or sustained, not as a general donation.

Benefits & funding

  • Two grants of US$75,000 each — one in the clean water and sanitation category, one in the ocean category (US$150,000 in total).
  • One year of free access to ScienceDirect, the RELX full-text scientific database.
  • Prize money must be used to launch, sustain or carry out the winning proposal, in line with the benchmarks in the judging criteria.
  • No entry fee at any stage.

Eligibility

  • Open to applicants aged 21 or over at the time of entry.
  • Entry as an individual, as a team of individuals, or on behalf of an organisation — educational institutions, not-for-profits and for-profit companies all qualify.
  • Internet access and a working email account are required throughout the challenge period and the prize award period.
  • No nationality or residency requirement; entry is void where prohibited by local law, and proof of age and residency may be requested.
  • Directors, officers and employees of RELX and its affiliates, their immediate families and household members, and RELX advertising and promotion agencies may not enter.
  • One application per person — submitting more than one leads to disqualification.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

  • Age requirement

    ≥ 21 yrs

Check my eligibility — free

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Application process

  1. 1
    Check the program page for the opening of the next cycle: the 2026 round closed on 12 July 2026 and the 2027 round opens in spring 2027.
  2. 2
    Decide which category the project fits — clean water and sanitation, or ocean.
  3. 3
    Register on the online entry platform linked from the program page and complete the application form.
  4. 4
    Set out the proposal against the judging criteria: replicability and scalability, practical applicability, equity of access, stakeholder involvement and impact, and local or community-level engagement.
  5. 5
    Submit before the stated GMT deadline; late entries and duplicate entries are rejected.
  6. 6
    If shortlisted, present the project to the judging panel ahead of the winner announcement.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open (09:00 GMT)

    Mar 13, 2026

  2. Application deadline (23:59 GMT)

    Jul 12, 2026

  3. August 2026

    Shortlist announced (in or after August)

  4. October 2026

    Winners announced (in or after October)

  5. Spring 2027

    Applications open for the 2027 edition

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