President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) Winners
Each year, EPA recognizes national winners of the President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA)
2026 Winners
Award Category Grade K-5
Project Name: New Recreational Garden at Findley Oaks Elementary School
By: Mighty Oaks Girls - Ally Yang, Anna Jing, Bella Jing, Angel Enqi Yang, Chelsea Zhao, Reha Patell, Claire Preston
Location: Johns Creek, GA, Region 4
Project Environmental Focus Area: School Green Space
Team members Ally Yang, Anna Jing, Bella Jing, Angel Enqi Yang, Chelsea Zhao, Reha Patell, Claire Preston found that there was limited green space near the school building. They saw this as an opportunity to improve the school environment by transforming an underutilized patch of dirt into a garden providing long-term benefits to the school community. The girls were involved in every step of the planning process; they researched plants, sunlight needs, and maintenance, developed a detailed project budget, created garden layout designs within budget constraints, and worked to make revisions based on conversations with their school officials. They led all fundraising efforts including a cookie sale, hot cocoa sale, lemonade sale and GoFundMe campaign. Their passion drew strong community and family support, and many volunteered to help with garden installation. Through this project, the Mighty Oaks girls-built leadership, community engagement, and environmental planning skills and created a lasting impact on their school community in the form of a sustainable garden.
Project Name: Cans for TAP’s
By: Washington PEAK - Kasen Bayard, Zeke Bayard, Asherr Bailey, Cohen Hardt, Brighton Szajerski, Moses Nelson, Abram Nelson, Brynlee Daniels, Avalynn Glass, Cooper Foster, Katniss Foust, Lyle Thomas, Maliha Kreichgauer, Maiya Kreichgauer, Jayse Owens, Aurora Camden, Gracyn Landis, Aleina Hornback, Greyson Hamm.
Location: Pekin, Illinois, Region 5
Project Environmental Focus Area: Recycling
Cans for TAPs began with a simple lesson on waste: students noticed that aluminum cans were being thrown away in large numbers at school events, lunches, and sports games. At the same time, they had learned that Tazewell Animal Protection (TAP) collects aluminum cans and exchanges them for cash to help pay for medical care, food, and supplies for animals waiting for homes. When students realized they could help the environment and help TAPs at the same time, they immediately took ownership of the idea and began shaping it into a school wide initiative. Students brainstormed how to collect cans efficiently, obtained a special collection bin, and monitored the donations as they grew each day. Students learned that recycling aluminum saves up to 95% of the energy needed to make new metal and that aluminum can be recycled continuously without losing quality. They became recycling ambassadors, teaching classmates and families about the recycling process and sharing how their efforts affect the planet and TAPS. Cans for TAPS grew into much more than a recycling project; it became a shining example of youth leadership, environmental responsibility, and community partnership.
From Waste to Wonder: An E – Tree
By: EAST at John Tyson Elementary School – Zharia Johnson, Brinxley Fogg, Everlee Ellis, Finn VanBecelaere, Avery Rasnick
Location: : Springdale, Arkansas, Region 6
Project Environmental Focus Area: Recycling
Zharia Johnson, Brinxley Fogg, Everlee Ellis, Finn VanBecelaere, and Avery Rasnick at John Tyson Elementary School worked with artist Eugene Sargent to examine bins of discarded electronic waste and brainstorm ways to repurpose the material into art. As they discussed what the e-waste pieces resembled, such as branches, leaves, etc., their ideas evolved into a shared vision. This exchange led to the concept of transforming recycled e-waste into a tree-like community sculpture that symbolized renewal, conservation, and the connection between people and the environment. E-waste is a growing environmental concern due to its potential to pollute landfills and waste valuable materials. So, the sculpture was built entirely from electronic waste (i.e., old routers, cords, and remotes) that was collected from local residents and then sorted, examined, and repurposed. The project led to immediate waste reduction, awareness and education about the importance of recycling e-waste, and fostering responsible disposal and lasting stewardship habits among students and community members.
Award Category Grade 6-12
Project Name: Lead Watch - Health Teach Initiative
By: Health Tech Initiative - Sahil Vora and Ignacy Niewglowski
Location: Westport, Connecticut, Region 1
Project Environmental Focus Area: Water Quality
Sahil Vora and Ignacy Niewglowski started the Health Tech Initiative to address the lack of clear, localized, and well-visualized data about lead risks, especially in their home state of Connecticut. The state’s aging water infrastructure makes its residents particularly vulnerable to lead exposure through legacy lead lines, fixtures, and solder. In response, they developed Lead Watch, a community driven, open-source platform that lets residents test, report, and visualize lead exposure in real time.
In addition to coding the platform, Sahil and Ignacy have led outreach efforts to promote their app and awareness of the dangers of lead exposure. The two high schoolers contacted local media, held events where lead test kits were distributed, and met with companies, district leadership, and school officials. So far, the project has collected over 200 reports, raised upwards of $2000 in testing and mitigation resources, and spread awareness through the community, leading to fixture replacements and additional testing.
Project Name: Breaking Down Ocean Plastics with Genetically Engineered Marine Bacteria to Degrade Polyurethane Microplastics
By: Gianna Park
Location: Hackensack, NJ, Region 2
Project Environmental Focus Area: Water Quality
This project addresses water quality through research, app development, art, and youth leadership. One of Gianna’s research projects investigates the effects of microplastic exposure on breast tumor cells. Another analyzes and maps the correlation between regional PFAS concentrations in drinking water and the incidence of kidney cancer across New Jersey. Gianna is passionate about not only studying the impact of water pollutants on human health but also increasing awareness and communication around water quality. Gianna, in collaboration with two other students, created an app with nationwide coverage designed to visualize water contaminants (PFAS, PFOS, lead, nitrate, and arsenic) data from EPA Water Quality Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Additionally, Gianna raised awareness about the importance of keeping our ocean clean through an art exhibition. The exhibition displayed a mixed media artwork series that raised awareness about ocean pollution and clean water and raised money for The Ocean Cleanup organization.
Project Name: Eco squash
By: Starry Yang
Location: Newtown Square, PA, Region 3
Project Environmental Focus Area: Recycling
After just three hours on the court, a squash ball loses its bounce. When Starry Yang started playing squash, she recognized that this quick turnover, paired with limited existing initiatives to recycle squash balls, meant that hundreds of thousands of butyl rubber balls were ending up in landfills. She proposed a solution involving a unique ambassador system in which 30 participating squash players and coaches across the country promote squash ball recycling and set up Ecosquash collection centers in their area. She then partnered with the American Recycling Center to grind the collected balls and repurpose the rubber into playground and track surfacing. So far, there have been more than five thousand squash balls recycled, equivalent to 250lbs. In addition, around 130 square feet of rubber surfacing paving has been made from recovered squash balls. Starry has plans to expand Ecosquash globally by partnering with coaches, players, and gym franchises around the world. She hopes that by expanding eco squash, the squash community can work together to decrease the environmental impact of the sport.
Project Name: ReTakeOut
By: Andrew Wang
Location: Atlanta, GA, Region 4
Project Environmental Focus Area: Recycling
Since Andrew Yang started ReTakeOut in 2022, the project has collected and repurposed over 100,000 containers, keeping a huge amount of plastic out of landfills and addressing community needs simultaneously. Andrew Wang started this project after he did his best to hold on to the takeout containers he received, rather than throwing them away, but he had far more than his family could realistically use. He realized that organizations addressing food insecurity often rely on plastic containers for their distribution efforts. Andrew contacted these organizations to learn what kind of containers they could use and then organized a drive to collect containers from neighbors and community members. He sorted the containers he received and delivered them to organizations fighting food insecurity. Following the success of his first collection drive and delivery, Andrew planned several more drives and set up more collection boxes in churches, senior centers, and local government buildings.
Project Name: Chicago River Report Card
By: VetaClear - Yuqi Qian, Rohan Jain, Geoffrey D. Gian
Location: Chicago, Illinois, Region 5
Project Environmental Focus Area: Water Quality
Chicago high schoolers, Yuqi Qian, Rohan Jain, and Geoffrey D. Gian, observed how harmful algal blooms (HABs) have killed off fish populations and affected waterways worldwide. They knew the Chicago River could be vulnerable to these blooms, given its history of industrial pollution. After interviewing several water quality professionals at local environmental organizations, the students determined that the lack of continuous, high-resolution monitoring was a critical gap in understanding the Chicago River’s health. Thus, they decided to implement a continuous time-series monitoring project, allowing them to detect pollution events that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The team prepared and deployed a multiparameter probe and configured it to record data every fifteen minutes and send it via the cloud to a publicly accessible data portal. By analyzing conductivity and turbidity data, they were able to identify pollution related events such as stormwater dilution during heavy rainfall and salt runoff during winter storms. This real-time detection allows agencies and restoration groups to respond more quickly to pollution events and better manage urban waterways. Additionally, the project supports the broader Chicago community by providing accessible, real-time water quality information that can inform restoration efforts, improve public awareness, and support safer recreational use of the river.
Project Name: Electrify your thoughts
By: Asvini Thivakaran
Location: Round Rock, Texas, Region 6
Project Environmental Focus Area: Agricultural Practices, Artificial Intelligence, Water Quality
This year, Asvini decided to focus on agricultural practices and artificial intelligence. After learning that excessive herbicide use degrades soil health, contaminates water sources, harms wildlife, and poses risks to human health, she recognized the urgent need for a more sustainable solution to weed control. She developed an AI-powered weed detection system capable of distinguishing crops from weeds by analyzing features such as leaf shape, color, and texture. This innovation could reduce herbicide usage by 70%, decrease chemical runoff into soil and waterways, and reduce labor requirements for farmers. Her research delivers a functioning AI model, a mobile app, a working prototype, and a cloud-based analytics platform ready for adoption by farmers.
Asvini also worked to prevent trash from entering storm drains by installing storm drain markers reading “No Dumping; Drains to Creek” throughout the Lady Bird Lake watershed. Her project got over 310 youth volunteers involved in lake cleanups and storm drain marker installation. This approach has led to a noticeable reduction in trash, particularly yard waste, entering storm drains, as reported by local Watershed Protection Department staff.
Project Name: The EcoTips Initiative
By: Claire Lu, Chloe Lu
Location: Ames, Iowa, Region 7
Project Environmental Focus Area: Recycling
During an summer internship in a research lab, Claire Lu observed that there is excessive plastic usage in scientific research labs. From single-use pipette tips to disposable cuvettes and other laboratory materials, the sheer volume of plastic waste generated daily was alarming. She learned that scientific research generates 12 billion pounds of plastic waste annually. She and Chloe Lu, her younger sister, were inspired to reduce single-use plastic. One of these efforts was introducing a standard cuvette cleaner, which allows for the reuse of cuvettes and prevents them from reaching landfills. So far, the Lu sisters have observed a 20% reduction in the use of single-use cuvettes due to the adoption of the standard cuvette cleaner. The Lu sisters also advocated for their pilot lab to participate in a free mail-back program for recycling pipette tips.
Chloe and Claire then expanded their initiative beyond scientific laboratories by providing practical “tips” for community members. Chloe and Claire Lu worked with a group of volunteers at their high school to start planning a community sustainability event. Through interactive booths, demonstrations, and educational displays, they reached 306 participants, who learned about the work of diverse environmental organizations through hands-on activities and direct connections.
Project Name: Alyssa's Giving Garden
By: Emily Peterson
Location: Arvada, Colorado, Region 8
Project Environmental Focus Area: Community Green Space
Emily Peterson started a garden to donate harvested produce to her community and honor her sister Alyssa, who passed away. To make her vision come to life, she researched Colorado-friendly crops, soil health, and talked with her parents about what types of produce families appreciate receiving the most. She then designed the layout, selected all crops, researched planting schedules, set up and managed irrigation, planted every vegetable, handled daily garden maintenance, solved pest and weather-related challenges, tracked food donations, and finally delivered all produce to the Arvada Community Table Food Bank. The food bank often struggles to receive enough fresh produce, so donating her harvest was a meaningful way to support families in her community.
By growing food locally, Emily eliminated packaging waste and transportation emissions. The giving garden also features a water-saving built-in Rachio Smart sprinkler system and is entirely organic which prevents chemical runoff into Colorado watersheds. Emily also selected pollinator-friendly flowers and herbs, creating a small ecosystem that has attracted bees, butterflies, and other insects, strengthening local biodiversity.
Project Name: Growing Green: Improving Agriculture by Harvesting the Sun Twice
By: Sarah Bendock
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, Region 9
Project Environmental Focus Area: Agricultural Practices, Artificial Intelligence
While working alongside local farmers at community gardens in her home city of Phoenix, Sarah Bendock discovered that many farmers were struggling with extreme heat and soaring energy costs. Eager to solve both problems, Sarah started Growing Green. Growing Green is a youth-led nonprofit that promotes and implements the use of solar panel structures to provide shade for farmers and shade-tolerant crops. Implementing these systems, also known as agrivoltaics, required Sarah to learn about system design planning, permitting, fundraising, and partnership development. She also collaborated with a Stanford optimization team to use artificial intelligence to simulate irradiance, temperature, humidity, and crop biomass under multiple design configurations, informing key decisions on panel height, array spacing, and system capacity.
One of Growing Green’s agrivoltaics installations at a local nonprofit community garden was able to offset 40% of the nonprofit’s total electricity bill, freeing up funds for expanded cold storage, outreach campaigns, and essential supplies. The system also enabled year-round cultivation of crops that previously couldn’t withstand the summer heat, with pepper plants under the solar panels yielding 4.5 times as much fruit as those in open control plots. Additionally, the panel structures helped lower farmers’ skin temperatures by 15 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, making working conditions dramatically safer.
Project Name: BioGlitter Initiative
By: Girl Scout Troop 436 - Sylvie Wailand, Emily Brubaker, Charlotte Nelson, Annabelle Slinker, Mackenzie Elliott, Adalyn Waldren, Althea Parrish
Location: Anchorage, Alaska, Region 10
Project Environmental Focus Area: Water Quality
Team members Sylvie Wailand, Emily Brubaker, Charlotte Nelson, Adalyn Waldren, Althea Parrish, Annabelle Slinker, and Mackenzie Elliott created the BioGlitter Initiative, which empowers students to replace plastic glitter with sustainable, biodegradable alternatives.
The troop was successful in drafting and advancing a formal district resolution banning plastic glitter in Anchorage schools and requiring microplastic education for 43,000+ students, which was unanimously approved by the School Board. The team also developed 100 teacher kits, including biodegradable glitter, lesson plans, and video guides, enabling immediate classroom adoption without added cost or preparation. Eliminating plastic glitter from Anchorage School District elementary classrooms prevents an estimated 50 pounds of plastic glitter annually from entering the waste stream. Because plastic glitter does not biodegrade, this reduction represents a permanent decrease in microplastic pollution entering landfills, storm drains, and local waterways.
In addition to the widespread replacement of plastic glitter in Anchorage schools, Girl Scout Troop 436 has brought awareness of this issue to the greater community by organizing an event that reached over 5000 community members and publishing educational materials on the topic.