Iris Prize 2023 for Young People Accelerating Action to Protect & Restore Nature

Applications are now being accepted for the Iris Prize 2023, which will honor and encourage young people who are stepping up efforts to conserve and restore nature in order to ensure a sustainable future for everybody.

In addition to a locally provided capacity development program and peer-to-peer mentorship supervised by their advisory panel, The Iris Project provides three grants each year. Three remarkable people who best exemplify the Iris Project’s attitude of promoting the preservation and restoration of environment as well as the rights of those who preserve it were given the first-ever “Iris Prize” in September 2022.

They recognise that nature restoration takes a variety of forms – from traditional land stewardship, to innovative technological solutions. As such, the ‘Iris Prize’ rewards new ideas and established projects, hoping to overcome the circumstantial barriers that too often prevent young people from being able to advocate for nature-related change.

Award:

The prizes are structured as such, and awarded alongside a bespoke capacity-building programme for each of their winners:

• $5,000 grant for Ages 14 – 24: Awarded for a new idea, not yet established.
• $10,000 grant for Ages 16 – 24: Awarded for an existing project, established on a small scale.
• $15,000 grant for Ages 16 – 24: Awarded for an established project, with the potential to replicate and scale.

Eligibility:

They will consider any project for the Iris Prize which supports their core principles; namely championing the protection and restoration of nature, and rights of those working to defend it.

• If you can answer YES to the following questions, you are eligible to apply for the Iris Prize.
  • General
    • Do you support the principle of protecting and restoring nature, and the rights of those working to defend it?
    • Are you an individual, team or organization?
    • Can you confirm that you are not applying on behalf of a Government organization?
    • Are you currently between the ages of 14-24?
  • Your project
    • Is your (proposed or existing) project run by young people who have (or will have) the responsibility to make organizational-level decisions?
    • Is your (proposed or existing) project grassroots and locally-led?
    • Does your (proposed or existing) project tackle issues that the local community finds important?
    • Is your (proposed or existing) project respectful of diversity and inclusion? E.g. gender and disability. Be prepared to explain how.
  • Do you fulfil the criteria of one or more of the following prizes?
    • Age 14-24. You have an idea for a project that will protect and / or restore nature, but have not yet set it up.
    • Age 16-24. You have started up a project that is trying to protect and / or restore nature, but only on a small scale.
    • Age 16-24. You have successfully established a project that functions to protect and / or restore nature, and it has potential to grow and be replicated elsewhere.
  • Personal details
    • Are you able to provide a registered physical and email address that they can contact you at?
    • Are you able to provide details for two referees to support your application?
    • Working with the Iris Project
    • Do you agree to work closely with the Iris Project advisory panel to decide how any grant funding you receive will be spent, and to only spend that money on activities relating to the project that it has been awarded for?
    • Do you agree to work closely with the Iris Project advisory panel to develop and work through a capacity-building programme that supports the development of your project?
    • Do you agree to work closely with the Iris Project staff to develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework for your proposed or existing project?
    • Should you win an Iris Prize, do you agree to represent the Iris Project in a respectful and collaborative manner?
    • Note they will accept application answers in audio format OR written format. At the end of the application form, you can upload an audio file. Do not use the audio option if you have already written answers to the questions.

Click here to apply