This post was written by Heather Chiles, a freelance contributor and former Engagement and Marketing Strategy staff member at the National Geographic Society.

At National Geographic, we believe in the power of optimism and innovation to help solve some of the world’s most complex environmental challenges. We encourage students and educators to support conservation work through research, curiosity, and action and make an impactful change for the planet.

Tackling our planet’s most critical environmental issues can start with one great idea. Enter the Slingshot Challenge, an opportunity for 13- to 18-year-olds worldwide to turn their hope for a better future into reality. Created in collaboration with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Slingshot Challenge allows these young changemakers to create solutions that slingshot our planet toward a better tomorrow.

The 2024 Slingshot Challenge submissions, representing 87 countries, showcased innovation, curiosity, the wonder of our world, and solutions-based approaches to protecting our planet.

The 2024 Top Honors Award Recipients:

• Mazah: Food Waste Fighting App — Noga Gercsak, Gabrielle Gervacio, Shradha Bista, Riya Zingade, Ishika Meel, Prithika Venkatesh (Switzerland, United States, Hong Kong): Developing an app that tracks food expiration dates and offers recipes to help prevent household food waste.
• TerraBox — Chidiebere Anigbogu (Nigeria): Developing STEM kits that empower children to explore clean and renewable energy through play and creativity.
• Semilla de Esperanza (Seed of Hope) — Ulises Yael Texta Ponce, Wiliam Artemio Texta Ponce, Diana Paola Ponce Nava, Perla Karina Ponce Gómez, Sasha Enriquez (Mexico): Protecting the endangered green macaw through monitoring, reforestation and community education.
• Trovador — Marta Bernardino (Portugal): Developing a tree-planting robot to help reforest land devastated by wildfires in the mountains of Portugal. 
• Urban Pollinators — Evelyn Pinot (Mexico): Building the first registry of native pollinator plants in Tapachula and creating a thriving haven for urban pollinators.

The 2024 Significant Achievement Award Recipients:

• Trash Cup Challenge — Tommaso Furlanetto, Stefano Mazzini, Alberto Favaro, Mirko Callegher, Enrico Mariotto (Italy): Leading a social media challenge to protect nature and restore the ocean by cleaning up waterways in Venice, Italy, and encouraging others to do the same in their communities. 
• Off Bottom Oysters — Demi Johnson (United States): Spearheading a community education program to create oyster gardens and restore Mississippi’s threatened oyster reef population.
• Jóvenes Investigadores — Mario Chacón Franco (Mexico): Creating a network of young bat researchers to protect threatened bat species.
• Wildlife Superheroes — Adam Galicia, Devipadma Vanniamparampath, Kenneth Armstrong (United States): Creating an immersive virtual reality experience to educate community members on best practices for protecting wildlife and reducing waste.
• Escuchando el Humedal — Anand Quintero De la Cerda (Mexico): Collecting audio and sharing soundscapes of wetland areas in Ensenada, Mexico, to encourage community members to take better care of the area. 
• Permaculture Food Forest — Magreth Manawa (Tanzania): Promoting community-centered sustainable food production to address climate change.
• Dispensing Plastics — Uswat Ahmed, Ahmed Zakari, Victor Okonkwo (Nigeria): Exploring ways to reduce single-use plastic waste in local schools.
• Gold Rice Straw — Menna Sabry (Egypt): Recycling gold rice straw into paper products to help reduce emissions from burning practices.
• Flow Essentials — Aiyza Naviwala, Salma Haider, Rustam Khan, Eshaal Amir, Umme Kulsoom Rahimtoola (Pakistan): Improving community health through the development of eco-friendly menstrual products.
• ReefSound — Thenuk Rodrigo, Simba Shi, Yimei (Bonnie) Liu (United Kingdom, China): Leveraging artificial intelligence to monitor coral reef health.

Congratulations to these award recipients. However, the 2024 Slingshot Challenge is not over yet! Voting is now open for the People’s Choice Award and runs through May 31, 2024.

Stay challenge-ready! Be among the first to know when submissions open in the fall for year three.

Thank you to every educator, advisor, student, faculty and staff who played a pivotal role in inspiring the next generation to be courageous and believe in their solution.

While we elevate the students’ Slingshot Challenge achievements announced today, we continuously celebrate and support educators who are dedicated thought leaders, mentors and role models. Every lesson plan, classroom session and academic opportunity is meticulously tailored to provide the highest-quality education to inspire your students.

That inspiration begins in your classroom with your students and is of the utmost benefit to the next generation. Your confidence in your students’ ability to develop impactful work reaches far and wide.

Students feel empowered to amplify their ideas and invest the time and dedication to seeing a project through and turning it into something they are truly proud of. Whether it’s a word of encouragement, an idea to apply or academic guidance, educators are valued collaborators in the Slingshot Challenge, with the Explorer Mindset at the forefront.

The solutions are out there; it’s just a matter of finding them. With technological advances constantly in development, new approaches are being developed to address ocean pollution, reduce our carbon footprint, rehabilitate ecosystems, promote wildlife conservation through photography, and leverage the power of social media to reduce waste, to name a few of the impactful projects submitted in last year’s Slingshot Challenge.

The 2023 Slingshot Award Recipients: Then and Now

With support from their educators, the inaugural 2023 Slingshot Challenge Award Recipients continue to commit to their impactful projects.

Hope in the classroom to H.O.P.E. for our ocean:

Tahirah Naicker went to class like any other day, unbeknownst to her that this particular day would be one she’d never forget. Tahirah’s teacher saw the potential for taking her passion for ocean conservation into a pillar of hope and change and encouraged her to apply to Slingshot. As part of her Slingshot Challenge solution, Tahirah created Help Oceans Protect Earth (H.O.P.E.), an ocean conservation initiative connecting changemakers via a digital landscape. After becoming an award recipient in Slingshot’s inaugural year, Tahirah hopes that other students will have hope in themselves and in their ideas to stand up and take part in vital conservation work across the globe.

What’s next for Tahirah: “Together, we can inspire hope for the future of our oceans,” Tahirah declares. Tahirah hopes to study marine science at the University of Cape Town after graduating high school. Tahirah is eager to join the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy’s Externship program next year to work on impactful projects, represent her South African coastal community, and prepare for a career in marine science and ocean conservation.

Tahirah plans to use the Slingshot Challenge as a launching pad to continue her commitment to project H.O.P.E. and collaborate with her scouting community to protect our oceans and marine life. “We aim to showcase our impact so that our project can hopefully be sponsored for the next year on the eOceans app,” Tahirah says.

Advice from Tahirah:

“Even if you think your project isn’t good enough or you won’t be selected, you should still try and apply. The learning experience from being a participant in the program is invaluable and can inspire your journey as a future changemaker. You are important, your ideas are important, and your community needs you and your unique solutions. So my advice would be to give it a try, enter, and you might be surprised where the journey takes you.” — Tahirah Naicker, 2023 Slingshot Challenge Award Recipient

From social media to developing a prototype to combat oil spills:

Tiffani Gay has always connected with nature and the serenity it brings her. After a casual look on Instagram, Tiffani came across an ad for Slingshot. She immediately applied for the opportunity to present a one-minute video highlighting the need to preserve our planet. With this opportunity, Tiffani developed a prototype to mitigate oil spills in the ocean.

What’s next for Tiffani: After her successful involvement in the 2023 Slingshot Challenge, Tiffani participated in the International Science and Engineering Fair, presenting her Slingshot Challenge project in its second year of development. “I am inspired by the works of others and the power of science and technology to shift the narrative of the climate crisis,” Tiffani remarks.  Over her summer break, Tiffani will continue her passion by conducting neuroscience research at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Advice from Tiffani:

“For anyone who wants to apply, I highly recommend that you do. It’s an amazing experience, with lots of opportunities to connect with others and collaborate towards that common goal: saving our planet. A one-minute video has the potential to open many doors. Just remember to clearly follow instructions! One minute means one minute. That’s pretty much all you need to convey your message. Be passionate about your topic!” — Tiffani Gay, 2023 Slingshot Challenge Award Recipient

Visit www.SlingshotChallenge.org to stay up-to-date with announcements, tips and the next submission window opening in the fall. Slingshot forward!