The Young Climate Prize is a global mentorship and award program run by The World Around, a New York 501(c)(3) platform for architecture and design founded by Beatrice Galilee in 2020, building on a 2019 collaboration with Diego Marroquin.
Every two years an international open call selects 25 changemakers aged 13 to 25 who already lead a climate-action project. Each is paired one-on-one with a world-renowned designer and joins the cohort-wide Design Academy.
Cycle 03 opened on Earth Day, 22 April 2026, and closed on 30 June 2026. The cohort is announced at an online event on 15 September 2026, mentorship and classes run to January 2027, and three prize winners plus one jury honoree present at The World Around Summit in New York in April 2027.
Benefits & funding
- Free to enter and free to take part — no application fee.
- One-on-one mentorship with a world-renowned designer.
- Design Academy: a three-month intensive of participatory group lectures, workshops, and strategy sessions hosted by The World Around’s network of architects, artists, curators, scientists, and storytellers.
- Digital membership of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, with access to its library of resources and bespoke librarian support.
- Three prize winners and one jury honoree present their work at The World Around Summit in New York.
- Mentees keep working on their own projects from wherever they live; the culminating Summit is held in person in New York.
- The organizers publish no cash award or stipend figures; the three winners are flown to New York City for the Summit.
Eligibility
- Aged 13 to 25.
- Founder or co-founder who is actively leading a climate-action project; team members without a founding role cannot apply.
- The project must already be running — ideas on their own are not accepted.
- Open to young people anywhere in the world; no nationality or residency requirement.
- Teams of up to three co-founders may apply, and every member must meet the age limit individually (ages are not averaged).
- Projects from design, activism, science, or education are all welcome.
- Parents, teachers, mentors, and peers may nominate an eligible candidate.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Age requirement
13–25 yrs
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Application process
- 1Confirm you are 13–25 and lead a climate project that is already up and running.
- 2Prepare a two-minute video telling the story of the project.
- 3Submit through The World Around’s Submittable portal before the cycle closes (Cycle 03 closed 30 June 2026 at 11:59 pm ET).
- 4The jury reviews entries for originality, current real-world impact, and the applicant’s appetite to learn and engage with the cohort.
- 5The 25 selected changemakers are announced in September and start the Design Academy with their mentor.
- 6The jury reviews the cohort’s work in January, and the winners present at the Summit in New York the following April.
Program timeline
Cycle 03 applications open on Earth Day
Apr 22, 2026
Application deadline, 11:59 pm ET
Jun 30, 2026
Cycle 03 cohort announced at an online event
Sep 15, 2026
Design Academy and one-on-one mentorship
2026-09 to 2027-01
Jury review
2027-01
Three prize winners and one jury honoree present at The World Around Summit, New York
2027-04
Next open call expected around Earth Day 2028 (estimate — no date published)