US: American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students 2024

These awards are a unique opportunity to showcase and leverage your work, win money to support your initiative and help your community and America move toward just and equitable climate solutions.

ACLA for High School Students will award prizes for individuals and initiatives with proven success broadening local participation in building public engagement and/or political will for climate action, advocacy, preparedness, or resilience.

Award Information

• Promoted with the support of youth climate leaders, non-profits, teachers, principals associations, guidance counselors, and school boards nationally, ecoAmerica is providing $125,000 in prizes for high school students, clubs, classes, teacher-sponsored programs, and student-led nonprofits working to make progress at the local level.
• What will the winners receive?
  • 16 applicants will be recognized with cash prizes:
    • 10 semifinalists will receive $5,000 each in recognition of their efforts.
    • 5 finalists will receive $10,000 each to further their work.
    • 1 winner will receive a total of $25,000.
    • The semifinalists, finalists, and winner will receive prominent recognition in key communications before, during, and after the event including social and traditional media.

Who should Apply?

• High school groups and high school clubs working on climate at the local level.
• Individual high schoolers who are employing innovative methods to broaden participation of Americans in climate change solutions locally.
• Outstanding high school-led nonprofits that have demonstrably moved their communities, organizations, or constituencies to effective climate action and advocacy, including community, health, faith, youth, rural, conservative, and other organizations.
• High school-led for profits with initiatives to build support for climate action with their stakeholders.

Eligibility Criteria

• The American Climate Leadership High School Students Awards seeks submissions from initiatives that have:
  • Demonstrated leadership and success engaging a broader diversity of Americans to build public support and political resolve for climate solutions, including mitigation, sustainability, climate advocacy, preparedness, and resilience.
  • A strong track record of effective climate action, including clear program objectives, tactics, and measurable results.
  • Successful programs or initiatives on a local level that can be replicated by others on a local level. This includes state-level work.
  • Reached new audiences: They welcome applications from across the country, from all communities, and in particular applications from local communities. They encourage applications from schools, students, and school organizations working to bring in or include audiences who are new to climate action.
  • Current programming (plans for future programs will not be considered).
• An adult sponsor who verifies your application is required to qualify for the awards.

Evaluation Criteria

• The submissions will be judged by peers, recent graduates, youth climate leaders, and climate advocates who will score the submissions based on the following criteria:
  • Impact and a track record of success, including measurable key success metrics.
  • Replicability, in other words, how easily another person or organization could follow your example and recreate a similar program for another region or constituency. Please share your effective tactics.
  • Innovation, including new, novel, or uniquely effective tactics.
  • Effective storytelling including demonstrating the success of how your program built public support and/or political will to slow and/or stop climate change, increase advocacy, or advance sustainability, preparedness, or resilience.
  • Reaching new audiences: effectiveness in bringing in or including audiences who are new to climate action.

For more information, visit ecoAmerica.