Oxford / Abu Dhabi: The Burjeel Holdings-Oxford Saïd Climate Change Challenge has announced the winners of its global competition. The winning idea and lesson plan was presented to judges, alongside the other finalists, this weekend, before the announcement was made at a ceremony at COP28 in Dubai.

The winners stood out among more than 600 applications from 43 countries, as part of the global challenge, launched by Saïd Business School and Burjeel Holdings earlier this year. The competition was supported by organizations as varied as Oxford University Press and the Eden Project.

Students aged 15-18 were asked to form teams and set out their big ideas to address one of five challenges relating to climate change: air pollution, extreme weather, diseases carried by insects, food security, and water scarcity. The entries were reviewed by a judging panel made up of influential thought leaders, founders, CEOs, and global entrepreneurs.

The winning team, Acquifier Guardians, comprised Aniba, Anika, Jasreen, Naina, and Sonali from New Delhi. They addressed water scarcity by presenting an effective drip irrigation solution.

‘Drip irrigation helps farmers save water, but timing is crucial. Our motivation is to raise awareness and propose innovative strategies, such as the Bio-floc Arduino technology developed by the Atal Tinkering lab at our school, to combat water scarcity and climate change effects. Winning this global competition is thrilling, and it inspires us to persist in our efforts towards a sustainable future,’ expressed the victorious team from Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj in New Delhi.

The runners-up were the Entofarm Team, consisting of Junhyeok, Gregor, Aiden, Dowon, and Jihan, a team of Korean boys living in different cities in South Korea, Indonesia, and the USA. Their idea focuses on revolutionizing farming to combat diseases carried by insects. The ECO2 Team, with members Gayathri, Trisha, Unnimaya, Elvina, and Nischala from GEMS Our Own English High School in Dubai, secured third place for their innovative approach to tackling air pollution. They propose converting CO2 and ammonia directly into fertilizers, promoting sustainable, affordable, and effective access to fertilizers worldwide.

All three winning teams in the student category will now be invited to take up a coveted spot in bespoke programmes at Oxford Saïd next year.

In the teacher category, Laxmidevi Upadhyay from Udayachal High School in Mumbai, India, with a lesson plan centered on waste management, secured second place.