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Youth are among the groups most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change – particularly to floods and droughts, which are becoming more frequent and intense in many regions. At the same time, they hold immense potential to contribute solutions and enhance resilience through their knowledge, skills, and access to technologies. Despite this, their participation and voices remain underrepresented in climate action and decision-making processes.
Given their vulnerability and potential, engaging youth in global climate efforts is not merely an option but an essential priority – for enhancing flood and drought resilience, promoting local climate action, and contributing to Early Warnings for All (EW4All).
The Competition for Youth-Led Projects aims to:
- Empower young people to design and lead practical solutions for disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and response.
- Strengthen community resilience through projects rooted in local needs.
- Encourage youth engagement and show the impacts youth can make in building flood and drought resilience.
Submissions are now open: Competition for Youth-Led Projects 2026-2027
Following the success of the previous editions, the Competition for Youth-Led Projects 2026-27 aims to finance two initiatives that enhance resilience in communities that are vulnerable to floods and droughts.
Two prizes consisting of 3000 CHF each will be awarded to selected projects which are in line with the objectives and selection criteria of the competition. Awarded project leaders will implement their initiatives over 9 months, with guidance and support from experts on floods and drought.
Eligibility Criteria
The proposed projects must:
- Be youth-led (students/young professionals aged 18 – 35) and demonstrate the active participation and engagement of youth of all ages below 35 in the proposed project activities.
- Be practical, results-oriented, have clearly identified objectives, timeline, and scope.
- Demonstrate a concrete contribution to enhancing resilience to floods and drought with tangible outputs.
- Be implemented within a maximum of 9 months.
- Be scalable and sustainable in time.
- Include a feasible innovative element (e.g., combining Indigenous and scientific approaches, a new community engagement model, low-cost adaptation methods, strong women’s engagement, etc.)
How to submit your proposal:
Before submitting your proposal, please read the submission guidelines carefully.
Proposals can be submitted in English or Spanish. To submit your proposal, please complete the following submission form:
A proposal can only be submitted once, in one language. Proposals submitted multiple times will not be considered. Only proposals submitted through the submission forms will be considered.
Deadline for Submissions: 31st August 2026
For questions related to the competition or submission process, please get in touch with droughtmanagement@wmo.int.
