Macmillan Education Caribbean has announced the opening of the 2025 Young Environmental Scientists (YES) Competition, launching at the start of October 2025.
The competition welcomes participation from primary school pupils aged 7 to 11 and secondary students aged 12 to 18 across the Caribbean, inviting them to research local environmental challenges and propose creative, actionable solutions in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.
In recent years, the YES Competition has inspired remarkable contributions from young innovators. In last year’s edition, 4 students from Windsor Primary School in St Vincent and the Grenadines developed a sustainable plant-based battery using non-toxic local materials, a project that followed their success at the VINLEC National Science Fair. Their entry earned them 4th place in the YES primary category, outperformed only by teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Guyana. Such achievements demonstrate both the diversity of creative thinking and the strong regional interest the competition continues to generate.
The upcoming 2025 edition invites student teams of 4 to investigate and address pressing environmental issues within their communities. Participants are asked to prepare a 2–5 minute video report that showcases their research, proposed solutions, and the potential impact of their work. Accompanying visuals, such as models, posters, or photographs, are encouraged to enhance their presentations.
Submissions for the 2025 competition will be accepted until Friday, 28 November 2025, and must be submitted via the official competition portal by a teacher, parent, or guardian.
Recognition will be given both regionally and locally. An overall winner will be selected from across the region, and country-specific winners will also be named, depending on entry numbers. In addition to recognition, winning teams will receive a workshop for their entire class and monetary vouchers redeemable at their local bookstores, continuing the tradition of practical and educational rewards that enhance both skills and class resources.
Macmillan Education Caribbean underscores that the YES Competition extends beyond a contest. Marketing Manager Katy Corderoy said, “It is a platform for cultivating environmental awareness, fostering critical thinking, encouraging teamwork, and nurturing scientific curiosity among young people across the Caribbean. With each new cycle, the competition amplifies the voices of young environmental scientists and empowers a new generation to drive sustainable change in their communities.”
Further information, including competition guidelines and submission instructions, can be obtained by emailing [email protected], or through the entry portal at https://forms.microsoft.com/e/AVE58k4uss.
Macmillan Education Caribbean looks forward to witnessing the breadth and originality of ideas that this year’s participants will bring forth, and to celebrating their contributions toward a greener future for the region.
Macmillan Education Caribbean
