President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA)
Other Youth Programs
Visit EE Link for even more
For students looking for opportunities to participate in environmental award programs. Options range from essay contests to community service projects.
Follow the links below to learn more about other youth programs that promote and celebrate environmental stewardship activities.
Recognition and Awards Programs
Intergenerational Annual Rachel Carson Contest
Contestants work across generations to share through poetry, essays, photos and dance their own interactions with and reflections on the wonders of nature. Sponsored by EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., the contest recognizes entries "that best expresses the Sense of Wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes."
Water Drop Patch Project
Grades 6-8
Find out what you can do to keep the water in our environment clean. If you are a Girl Scout, you can earn patches by completing some of these water- related activities.
Disney Planet Challenge
Grades 4-6
Through the Disney Planet Challenge, children in 4th-6th grades engage in environmental projects to learn about science, conservation, and teamwork. The project-based, ready-to-use curriculum empowers kids to positively impact the world around them. A range of prizes are awarded through a friendly competition. All students and teachers who submit a project are recognized.
Ecybermission
Grades 6-12
eCYBERMISSION is a web-based science, math and technology competition for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade teams. Your team will propose a solution to a real problem in your community and compete for regional and national awards.
Environmental Excellence Awards
Grades 9-12
The "SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards" provides school and community groups with a monetary award, national recognition and some well-deserved fun at one of their parks.
Envirothon
Grades 9-12
Sponsored by Canon, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and others, the Envirothon is an annual competition held for high school students throughout North America. Designed as a way to teach kids about environmental education, the best teams from over 47 states and provinces come together during the summer to compete.
Green Youth Awards Program
K-12
The Green Youth Award is an annual awards program that recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of youth in Illinois who are working on environmental and conservation friendly projects.
NASA Student Involvement Program
K-12
This national educational and competitive program for grades K-12 connects students with NASA's space exploration and discovery programs
National Apprentice Ecologist Awards
Grades 9-12
These awards recognize youth volunteers, including those who are at-risk and disadvantaged, who perform environmental service projects.
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
K-12
This award recognizes young people who have shown extraordinary leadership in making our world better in a number of diverse ways including protecting the environment.
U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Grades 9-12
This site is an awards program for water projects for high school students. One winner for each state is selected to go to a national competition.
Young Eco-Hero Award
Ages 8-16
Sponsored by Action for Nature (AFN), the Young Eco-Hero Awards recognizes successful personal action projects of young people aged 8-16 from all over the world. Action for Nature's mission is to foster respect and affection for nature through personal action.
Student Involvement Programs
EPA Youth and the Environment Training and Employment Program
The goal of the program is to provide the participating students with exposure to the various career possibilities in different environmental careers. The program provides an opportunity for these students to better understand the environmental problems of their community and how technology can help solve these problems.
Earth Force
Earth Force engages young people as active citizens to improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.
Planet Connect
Planet Connect, a component of Classroom Earth, is an online social network where high school students can learn about current environmental issues, funding opportunities, green colleges and environmental careers.
Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a nonprofit organization that offers conservation internships and summer trail crew opportunities. SCA is focused on developing conservation and community leaders while getting important work done on the land.
Teens for Planet Earth
Check out this site to learn more about how YOU can protect this amazing planet. This site has facts about the natural world, the latest conservation news, and how teens can - and do - make a difference by carrying out environmental service-learning projects in their communities.