Call for Applications: Eco Fest TURAQTY JOL 6.0 (Kazakhstan)

The initiative invites young participants to engage in one of three thematic categories: Innovation, Art or Media. The festival aims to foster environmental awareness, creativity, and youth engagement in sustainable development across Kazakhstan.

TURAQTY JOL is an educational programme aimed at fostering a sense of responsibility towards the native land in the younger generation by instilling cultural, moral and environmental values. It is a continuation of five successful cycles of the project, organized by the Kazakhstan National Federation of Clubs for UNESCO in collaboration with the general partner Bank CenterCredit and  the official partner Chevron.

The youth-focused ECO FEST TURAQTY JOL 6.0 is dedicated to fostering and enhancing the interest of children and young people in environmental culture and sustainable development. The initiative supports outstanding eco-projects and creative ideas, providing opportunities for their further funding and implementation across Kazakhstan. Participation in the project is free of charge.

Goals

• Identify and support the best environmental projects, startups and creative initiatives for implementation in Kazakhstan;
• Promote environmental culture and sustainable development among young people;
• Society’s concern for the environment and natural resources raise awareness of the importance of;
• Children and youth should use natural resources rationally and environmentally friendly development of consumer skills;
• Support for creative initiatives of young people and promising school projects and identifying student media projects;
• Creating an effective networking platform among eco-activists, startups, artists, media creators, and other individuals interested in environmental topics.

Categories

• Program I: Innovation
  • The program is designed to identify and support youth environmental initiatives aimed at solving environmental problems in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
• Program II: Art
  • This program is aimed at identifying and supporting the creative abilities of young people, as well as drawing public attention to environmental issues. The theme of the 2025 creative competition is “The Breath of the Earth.”
• Program III: Media
  • The program supports environmental initiatives of young people in the media sector aimed at disseminating and solving environmental problems in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Award Information

• Finalist teams will be selected at the ECO FEST final.
• The team will receive incentive prizes.
• Only finalists will participate in the defense of projects.
• The prize fund of the winning teams is 10 million tenge:
  • 1st place – 4 million tenge
  • 2nd place – 2.5 million tenge
  • 3rd place – 1.5 million tenge
  • 2 incentive prizes – 1 million tenge each
• Each participant will be awarded a certificate of participation, and the finalists of the project will be awarded diplomas and souvenirs.

Eligibility Criteria

• Program I: Innovation
  • Teams of 1 to 3 people aged 16 to 25 (including 25) can participate as participants during online registration.
  • Participation is open to teams from 17 regions of Kazakhstan and the capital of republican significance, Astana, Young people from Almaty and Shymkent are invited.
• Program II: Art
  • Participants must be between the ages of 12 and 25 at the time of online registration (age 25 and older). (including).
  • Participants are divided into 4 age categories: 12-13, 14-15, 16-17 and 18-25 years old.
  • Participation is open to students from 17 regions of Kazakhstan and the capital of republican significance, Astana, Young people from Almaty and Shymkent are invited to participate.
• Program III: Media
  • Participants must be between 12 and 17 years old at the time of online registration (17 is inclusive) should be.
  • Participants from 17 regions of Kazakhstan and the capital of republican significance, Astana, Young people from Almaty and Shymkent are invited.

For more information, visit UNESCO.