Innovating for Impact – Youth-Led Solutions for Climate Action
Are you passionate about protecting the planet and addressing climate change? Do you have ideas that could create sustainable impact in your school, community or beyond?
The India Innovation Challenge invites high school students from across India to design bold, creative, and practical solutions to advance Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.
This is your opportunity to take on one of the world’s most pressing challenges and lead the way in creating a more sustainable and resilient future.
Join us in our mission to drive innovation and create lasting change for our planet. Together, let's make SDG 13 a reality and empower youth to lead the fight against climate change in India.
Climate action is critical to securing a sustainable and livable future for all.
From rising temperatures and extreme weather events to shrinking biodiversity and water scarcity, the impacts of climate change are being felt across the globe – especially in vulnerable communities.
By empowering young people to design innovative, action-oriented solutions, we can strengthen local and global responses to climate change, promote environmental awareness, and build more resilient communities.
Your solution can focus on one or more of the following areas:
Applications open
Tuesday 1 July 2025
Briefing session 1
Sunday 24 August 2025, 4:30 pm (IST)
Q&A session
Sunday 24 August 2025, 4:30 pm (IST)
Submission deadline
Saturday 6 September 2025, 11:55pm (IST)
Virtual award ceremony
First week of October 2025
Criteria for judging
An expert panel from the University of Sydney will evaluate entries from 7 September 2025 onwards based on the following criteria.
Announcement of results
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Menstrumate transforms menstrual health by creating biodegradable pads from agricultural waste – empowering women while tackling plastic pollution and climate change.
Students: Anupriya Nayak and Prisha Dubey
Teacher mentor: Ms Alka Saxena
Amity International School, Saket, Delhi
Menstrumate is a youth-led social enterprise reimagining menstrual health through sustainable innovation and social impact.
Addressing the 200,000 tonnes of non-biodegradable menstrual waste produced annually, Menstrumate creates biodegradable pads from agricultural waste, developed in collaboration with IIT Delhi. These pads decompose in just four months, replacing petroleum-based materials with eco-friendly alternatives.
The initiative also empowers marginalised women by employing former inmates and has conducted workshops across 14 countries, distributing 10,000+ pads through partnerships with Médecins Sans Frontières and the Gates Foundation.
Aligned with UN SDG 13 (Climate Action), Menstrumate unites climate innovation and social justice – turning sustainability into empowerment.
EcoAI revolutionises energy management by using artificial intelligence to optimise power consumption, reduce emissions, and drive sustainable enterprise operations.
Students: Abhishek Thakur, Vedant Garg and Divyansh Ghosh
Teacher mentor: Mr Ajay Verma
Delhi Public School, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad
EcoAI is an intelligent, AI-powered platform designed to help enterprises achieve energy efficiency and sustainability through smart automation.
EcoAI connects directly with a company’s server infrastructure to monitor real-time energy usage, automate power distribution, and optimise workloads. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, it predicts peak consumption, dynamically balances server loads, and reduces hardware stress – resulting in lower electricity bills and improved system performance.
Aligned with UNSDG 13 (Climate Action), EcoAI empowers organisations to minimise their carbon footprint while maximising operational efficiency, making sustainable technology both practical and profitable.
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Project Vaayu provides low-cost, eco-friendly cooling solutions using repurposed terracotta cups – bringing sustainable relief to heat-affected communities.
Students: Kartikeya Shastri, Sheyan Sethi and Nevan Roy
Teacher mentor: Ms Sudeshna Chhajlani
The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Gurgaon
Project Vaayu is a student-led initiative providing sustainable and affordable cooling solutions for heat-affected communities. By repurposing terracotta cups from local tea vendors, the project designs eco-friendly air coolers that use evaporative cooling to reduce ambient temperatures by 8–10°C – all without electricity.
Recognised by the Mobius Foundation and Girl Up’s Girl Tank competition, Project Vaayu has installed coolers in government schools and conducted climate awareness sessions, reaching over 400 students.
Aligned with UN SDG 13 (Climate Action), Project Vaayu combines innovation, community impact, and environmental sustainability to make cooling accessible for all.
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The Biodiesel Project transforms waste cooking oil into clean, high-quality biodiesel – reducing emissions, saving energy costs and driving youth-led climate action.
Students: Tsheden Lekshey Wangyel, Thae Nandar Su and Leonid Kolobov
Teacher mentor: Cdr. AJL Fernandes (Retd.)
Kodaikanal International School
The Biodiesel Project is a student-led sustainability initiative at Kodaikanal International School that upcycles waste cooking oil into high-quality biodiesel through the process of transesterification. Tested successfully with B5 and B10 blends to power diesel pumps without modification, the project reduces the school’s carbon footprint by over 2 tonnes of CO₂e annually while saving approximately ₹70,000 in fuel costs.
Recognised as part of the school’s goal to achieve carbon net-neutrality by 2030, the project also serves as a model for community engagement – students have shared their findings with neighbouring schools, inspiring local adoption of cleaner energy practices.
Aligned with UN SDG 13 (Climate Action), The Biodiesel Project demonstrates how practical, student-driven innovation can transform waste into sustainable energy solutions.
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BeeBot is an AI-powered robotic pollinator that ensures stable crop yields and climate-resilient farming amid global bee population decline.
Students: Udbhav Sriramoju, Pranay Kochuri and Harshad Shaik
Teacher mentor: Mr Rajesh Javvadi
Oakridge Internatioanal School, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
BeeBot is an AI-powered robotic pollination rover designed to combat the global decline in bee populations caused by climate change, pesticides and habitat loss. Using advanced vision and automation, BeeBot autonomously identifies flowers and transfers pollen with precision – ensuring stable crop yields, reducing dependency on artificial methods and enhancing food security.
Aligned with UN SDG 13 (Climate Action), BeeBot offers a sustainable, tech-driven solution to support farmers and strengthen climate-resilient agriculture.