Event Information

AAH Youth Sustainability Challenge
The Animal Assisted Happiness Youth Sustainability Challenge (AAH-YSC) invites middle and high school youth to direct their creative energy toward stewardship projects rooted in real-world observation, problem-solving, and care. The Youth Sustainability Challenge is a competition designed to celebrate stewardship, applied learning, and thoughtful problem-solving.

- Last Day to Enter: March 22
- Last Day to Submit Written Portion of the Project via Email: March 22
- Exhibition and Judging: April 12
- Entry Fee: $25 (Fee Waiver available for Title I Schools)

Full details, eligibility and submission guidelines, can be found at https://youth4impact.givesmart.com

Project Theme
Stewardship in Action: Caring for Land, Animals, and Community

Project Categories
Participants must select one of five project categories that best reflect the primary focus of their project (what it is about).
- Food, Agriculture, and Soil Systems: Projects focused on growing systems, soil health, food production, composting, regenerative practices, crop systems, or agricultural innovation.
- Air, Water, Natural Resources, and Energy: Projects examining conservation, energy systems, water use, air quality, resource management, renewable energy, or environmental protection.
- Ecosystems, Habitats, and Biodiversity: Projects exploring relationships among living systems, wildlife, habitat health, biodiversity, native species, or ecosystem restoration.
- Sustainable Design and Innovation: Projects that design, prototype, model, or improve tools, systems, or technologies that reduce waste, improve efficiency, or support sustainability.
- Community Stewardship in Practice: Projects focused on human behavior, education, policy awareness, or local initiatives that strengthen sustainability in schools or communities.

Project Format
Any of the following Project Formats (methodologies) may be entered into any category:
- Investigation or Experiment: A project that tests a hypothesis by changing one variable and measuring results.
- Design or Solution: A project that develops, builds, or prototypes a solution to a defined problem using engineering or structured design criteria.
- Data Analysis or Modeling: A project that analyzes existing data or builds a model to identify patterns, relationships, or potential outcomes.
- Observational or Practice-Based Stewardship Project: A project rooted in real-world practice, such as garden trials, composting implementation, habitat monitoring, or applied sustainability work with documented outcomes.
- Demonstration with Explanation and Reflection: A project that demonstrates a concept or system while clearly explaining learning, measurable results, and reflection on impact.



Time: 12:00 PM - 12:01 PM

Price:
Project Entry: USD 25.00