International Collaboration

Partner up with other youth from around the world to create in-depth and impactful stories about environmental challenges and their solutions!

Sign up to participate in the International Collaboration category below.

Who can participate?

The unique “International Collaboration” category of the YRE Competition is open to youth between the ages of 11-25 in countries running the YRE programme. Young people can participate through their school (including schools in UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network) or local Scouts groups too.

IMPORTANT: There are three age categories in the YRE Competition: 11-14, 15-18 and 19-25. It is the participant's age on the day they submit their entry to the National Competition that must be given and defines which age category they enter. Because this is a project for a group of students, we require the group to submit their entry in the age category of the oldest group member.

What’s the format?

Submissions for the International Collaboration category in the YRE Competition can be in the form of:

Article
Photo Story of 3-5 Photos
Video

IMPORTANT: International Collaboration submissions must be collaborative! This means that submissions must show significant contributions and cooperation from all the students involved.

Entries for International Collaboration will be submitted directly to the International Jury through the National Operator in one of the collaborating countries. If the submission wins, schools from both/all countries will be awarded.

Is there a theme?

We recommend looking at topics that relate to the themes of biodiversity, pollution and climate change. You can also connect your topic to any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as well, but make sure that you always use an environmental lens.

How are entries in the International Collaboration category assessed?

The participation and submission requirements as well as the assessment criteria of the International Collaboration category are the same as for the categories of article, photo story and video in the YRE International Competition.

Scroll down to see winning examples from last year’s International Collaboration category.

Great! How do I join?

Fill out the following form by October 20th to enter into the International Collaboration category for the 2024 YRE International Competition. You will be matched with another school or Scouts group by the end of October.

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP: 20 October 2023

The simplest way to manage projects out there

Tips for a Successful International Collaboration!

The element of International Collaboration must always be clear and significant. This means that entries must include relevant information/data/footage/photos from both/all countries.
We highly recommend that partners work together for at least 2-3 months through 5-10 meetings that include discussion on the idea for the project, planning of tasks, updates on progress, discussion on learnings and findings, ideas for stakeholder interviews, discussion on possible solutions, etc.
Articles and videos should have an introduction that explains how the participants jointly collaborated on the topic.
Students may wish to make a comparison of a topic across different countries, but may also look at processes, e.g., cause-effect, start-end, production-consumption. For example, the production of something in one country may allow consumption in another, which produces waste in yet another.
We highly recommend that someone uninvolved in the article, video or photo story proofread the submission to ensure that there is a clear and comprehensive story being told.
The final entry should not only be a combination of two separate works, but a mutual connection of different views on one main issue.
Make the distance an advantage instead of a problem! Students have the opportunity to learn a lot by working with students from other countries and to create a unique entry.