What if the solutions to some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges were already being imagined in classrooms around the world?
That’s exactly what happened in the Laudato Si’ Challenge, a global initiative that invited high school and university students to design concrete solutions for today’s most urgent socio-environmental problems.
The challenge was organized by the Trampoline Network, the Scholas Occurrentes Educational Movement, and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, a program of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
After months of work and evaluation by an international jury, the winning projects were announced on December 26, 2025.
Innovation inspired by Laudato Si’
Each project presented by the participating teams was directly related to one of the objectives of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. The proposals addressed key issues such as:
- innovation in renewable energy
- waste reduction
- social and environmental justice
- sustainable mobility
The goal was clear: to inspire young people to develop creative solutions that integrate scientific knowledge, social commitment, and care for creation.
A truly global challenge
The challenge brought together teams from four continents, demonstrating the growing interest of the younger generation in integral ecology.
From Africa, teams participated from Mozambique, Nigeria, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and two teams from Kenya. From America, projects were submitted from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala. From Europe, a team from Greece participated, and from Asia, a team from the Philippines. This geographical diversity reflected the global spirit of Laudato Si’: an invitation to all humanity to care for our common home.
The winning projects
After jury evaluation, three projects were selected for their creativity, social impact, and commitment to integral ecology.
First place
Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (Brazil): Laboratory of Extension, Practices, Research, and Academic Publications Sabiás Program – Dean of Extension, PUC Minas
Project:
RE-EXISTIR E RECICLAR: Popular Knowledge and Ecological Education in the Common Home
The project proposes an educational approach that integrates popular knowledge, recycling, and ecological awareness, promoting community participation in caring for the environment.
Team: Aline Sant’Ana Alves Pereira, Isadora Sant’Ana, Izabela Silva Moreira, Jennifer Thaís Santos Fernandes, Laísa Santos Magalhães, Maria Eduarda de Aquino Santos, Simone Catalan Pereira, Armindo dos Santos de Sousa Teodósio, Robson Figueiredo Brito.
Second place
Colegio Agostiniano Mendel – São Paulo (Brazil)
Project: Lixo Zero na Escola – da Redução ao Reuso Criativo
This project seeks to transform school culture through a zero waste model, promoting waste reduction and creative reuse within the educational community.
Coordination: Miki Cumagai Nakazato, Gabriel Sansone Sahid Pedroza, Beatriz Bertolini Caldani Bezerra, and Ana Clara Furtado de Toledo.
Implementation team: Students from the Socio-Environmental Action Group of Ensino Médio.
Guidance: Prof. Luciana Barão Acuña, Simone Bacic, and Patrícia Del Valhe Molero.
Third place
Colegio Salvatoriano Padre Jordan
Project:
Lixo Zero – Nosso Colégio em Sintonia com a Ecologia Integral
The project promotes the implementation of sustainable practices within school life, inspired by the principles of integral ecology.
Author: Juan Cleidineris-Costa e Silva.
Support to make ideas a reality
The winning teams will receive the following prizes:
- a Soft Skills Certification awarded by the University of Meaning (Vatican City)
- up to 35 hours of specialized technical and legal advice, including guidance on intellectual property and patents
This support aims to help transform students’ ideas into real projects with social and environmental impact.
Sowing the future of our Common Home
The Laudato Si’ Challenge shows that young people are not only concerned about the future of the planet: they are also proposing concrete solutions.
By connecting education, creativity, and community engagement, initiatives like this help to shape a new generation capable of building a more just, supportive, and sustainable world.
Because, as Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, caring for creation is a shared task that requires everyone’s participation—and young people are already showing the way.
An international jury committed to integral ecology
The projects were evaluated by an international jury composed of educators and leaders committed to promoting socio-environmental justice.
The jury was composed of:
- Sr. Marinez Capra (Brazil), a religious sister of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, with extensive international experience in networks dedicated to the promotion of justice, peace, and care for creation.
- Prof. Luciano Rodolfo de Moura Machado (Brazil), environmental educator and coordinator of the Pastoral Care of Integral Ecology of the Southern Region 1 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB).
- Sister Cláudia Chesini (Brazil), a nun from the Associação Congregação Santa Catarina, with experience in education, sustainability, and public policies related to the Global Education Pact.
- Maureen Villanueva (Mexico), Engagement Manager of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and professor at the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) in the Sustainability Center.