This years’ International Jury was composed of professionals in the fields of environmental journalism and Education for Sustainable Development. The members are:

• Christopher Slaney, Freelance Journalist
• Garrette Clark, Sustainable Lifestyles Programme Officer, UNEP
• Julie Saito, Programme Specialist of Communication, UNESCO
• Torvald Jacobsson, Founding Partner of Edumanity and COO of TheGoals.org, Lund University (IIIEE)
• Pedro Marcellino, Documentary Film Producer and Director
• Mayra Navarrete, Photographer
• Constant Brand, Press Officer, European Environment Agency
• Boris Šušmak, FEE Board Member
• Richard Steed, Communications Officer, FEE

You can find more information on their profiles here. 

Reflecting on the development of the YRE Programme, Jury member Pedro Marcellino, notes:

“Over the last 20 years of my involvement, first as a student, and now as a jury member, YRE has changed immensely and repeatedly, growing from a European to an international programme, adapting to remain relevant and at the forefront of pivotal changes in the media, technological and environmental education landscapes, and collaborating with thought leaders and agencies spearheading the agenda internationally. The animated discussions at this year’s international competition jury meeting were reflective of this constant reinvention, and indicative not only of an increasing quality in submissions from all around the world over the last 3 years, but also of higher expectations by the jury from year to year.”

The YRE International Competition winners for 2018 are:

Article

11-14 years old

1st Place
Title: Atrazine in drinking water: Slovakia's biggest treasure at risk
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place
Title: Fairy Alkima is waiting for the golden ship
Country: Montenegro

Honourable mention
Title: Glitter your life with litter - Lessons from Akosombo International School (AIS)
Country: Ghana

15-18 years old

1st Place
Title: Whiteboard markers: From investigation to change
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place
Title: The drawbacks to clothing consumption
Country: Sweden

3rd Place
Title: REDUCE, REUSE, REFILL - Reducing your plastic waste one cup at a time
Country: Canada

19-21 years old

1st Place
Title: When youth hostel goes with eco-friendly tourism
Country: France

1st Place
Title: Tan Tan: From a garden watered by running water to a barren wasteland looking for drops of water
Country: Morocco

Photo

11-14 years old

1st Place (as a reportage photo)
Title: On tiptoes
Country: Slovakia

Note from Jury: Garbage containers should be accessible for everyone while remaining safe.

Honourable mention (as a campaign photo)
Title: Save the octopus
Country: Greece

Honourable mention (as a reportage photo)
Title: Bird in wetland
Country: China

15-18 years old

1st Place (as a campaign photo)
Title: Clean water - a given in the future?
Country: Sweden

1st Place (as a campaign photo)
Title: Garbage feast
Country: South Korea

19-21 years old

Honourable mention (as a reportage photo)
Title: Never ending sunset - Light pollution
Country: Malta

Honourable mention (as a campaign photo)
Title: Make a stand
Country: Slovakia

Video

11-14 years old

1st Place (as a reportage video)
Title: Sticky curse
Country: Slovakia

1st Place (as a campaign video)
Title: PaperLand
Country: Greece

2nd Place (as a reportage video)
Title: Luehdorfia Research
Country: China

15-18 years old

1st Place (as a campaign video)
Title: Plastic pollution
Country: Canada

Honourable mention (as a reportage video)
Title: Alexandra township in Johannesburg is invaded by rats: What sustainable solutions do exist?
Country: France / South Africa

19-21 years old

Honourable mention (as a reportage video)
Title: Green waste - no waste: The campaign to promote bio-waste sorting
Country: Slovakia

Honourable mention (as a reportage video)
Title: Story to change tomorrow: Paradox of global warming
Country: South Korea

International Collaboration

No awards given this year.

Winners in Litter Less Campaign category

The Jury also discussed the top national entries from schools participating in the Litter Less Campaign. Below are the results of the evaluation:

Article

11-14 years old

1st Place
Title: It’s a nesting nightmare: The untold plastic story
Country: Wales

Honourable mention
Title: The trash around us
Country: Malta

Honourable mention
Title: Plastic waste: A global issue with local solutions
Country: Northern Ireland

15-18 years old

Honourable mention
Title: Looking for a savvy consumer
Country: Israel

Honourable mention
Title: I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, wrapped in plastic; it’s NOT fantastic
Country: Northern Ireland

Honourable mention
Title: Cardigan combats plastic pollution
Country: Wales

19-21 years old

No entries were submitted in this age group

Photo

11-14 years old

No awards were given in this age group.

15-18 years old

Honourable mention (as a reportage photo)
Title: Trash does not roll
Country: Spain

19-21 years old

No awards were given in this age group.

Video

11-14 years old

1st Place (as a reportage video)
Title: Litter in your lunch
Country: New Zealand

1st Place (as a campaign video)
Title: Food waste crime report
Country: Northern Ireland

2nd Place (as a campaign video)
Title: Social experiment – waste disposal
Country: Israel

15-18 years old

1st Place (as a reportage video)
Title: Greasy trash
Country: Malta

Honourable mention (as a reportage video)
Title: Thinking outside the box
Country: Israel

19-21 years old

1st Place (as a campaign video)
Title: Waste bin story
Country: Malta

Congratulations to all winners and thank you for your participation!