MUMBAI: Children are the backbone of the nation who have the power and the passion to drive a positive change in society. To inspire kids to be catalysts for conservation and do their bit towards a sustainable society, Sony BBC Earth launched the Young Earth Champions contest at the start of the year, in partnership with climate warrior Bhumi Pednekar. The month-long contest which concluded recently, saw thousands of young eco-conscious minds lead by example to prove that every step counts when it comes to sustainability.
This nationwide contest, open for fifth to ninth standard kids, invited the most innovative ideas for building sustainable cities and communities. From the hundreds of entries received, the experts from IIT-Bombay helped shortlist 10 winners who then got a chance to interact with Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar and with Prof Vamsi Botlaguduru from IIT-Bombay about their ideas and the future of sustainable living. Additionally, top 50 participants received a certificate of excellence from Sony BBC Earth.
Pednekar, who is a strong advocate of environmental conservation through her flagship initiative - Climate Warrior, played an important role in inspiring kids to participate in the contest and encouraging them to continue their efforts towards a more sustainable tomorrow. She also announced the mega winner during the live interactive session, Avigyan Kishor Das, who will soon be featured on the channel and will win an exclusive hamper worth Rs 50,000 for his innovative green device which can help curb pollution caused by emission from vehicles.
Overall, the month-long contest received over 1,100 entries from young minds all over India and led to over 3.2 lakh visits on the website. This was possible due to the extensive marketing efforts which included promos not only on Sony BBC Earth but also on other channels within the Sony network. Additionally, extensive promotions on Sony BBC Earth’s social media pages, further amplified by cross promotions on other handles of Sony network, on Bhumi’s social media pages and even on promotional partners - Mom Junction and Baby Chakra’s pages helped spread the word about the contest.
To find out more about the top ten winning entries, one can visit https://www.sonybbcearth.com/youngearthchampions/.
Sony Pictures Networks India English cluster business head Tushar Shah said,"Through Young Earth Champions contest, we decided to elevate the voices of the youth and let them lead the way towards a sustainable future. It was overwhelming to see the enthusiasm and passion in the children. We are also extremely thankful to Bhumi Pednekar and Professor Vamsi for supporting us and for inspiring children to not stop with this one contest, but to make this a lifestyle.”
Climate warrior & actress Bhumi Pednekar said,“Addressing issues about our environment and promoting sustainability is a need of the hour and there is no better audience set than the children of our nation as the future lies in their hands. I am glad that Sony BBC Earth involved me in this project as sustainability for me is a way of life. It was inspiring and reassuring to witness the innovative ideas of these young eco-conscious minds. These children indeed have the potential to be the catalyst for change and inspire many others”.
