Earth Day: Sustainability competition

This year’s Earth Day theme, "Our Power, Our Planet", is a powerful call for individuals, businesses, and governments to come together and turn personal action into global impact. When individuals act, communities grow, leaders and businesses respond, and real change follows. Your voice, choices, and actions spark a better world.

The University of Birmingham Dubai is proud to support Earth Day by hosting a Sustainability Competition for Year 12 and Year 13 students. This exciting competition invites students to:

• Explore real-world environmental challenges
• Develop innovative and practical sustainability solutions
• Work with academic mentors through online or in-person meetings
• Connect student ideas to global sustainability goals

Structure of the competition and timeline

• Students work in teams of 4-5 to submit a poster.
• Submission deadline: 4 June 2026
• Shortlisted teams will be notified by: 8 June 2026
• Finale: shortlisted teams to deliver presentation to an expert panel and award (in-person): 18 June, 2026

Themes 

1. Water in a Desert City
   Design smart water solutions for Dubai, focusing on efficiency, reuse, and reduced demand in homes, campuses, and cities.
2. Powering the City of the Sun
   Explore how Dubai can use clean energy, smarter buildings, and cooling innovations to meet rising urban energy needs sustainably. 
3. Nature in the City
   Protect and restore urban ecosystems by integrating nature-based solutions, biodiversity, and green spaces into a growing city.
4. Cool, Liveable, and Climate-Ready
   Design solutions that improve urban mobility and air quality by reducing traffic, promoting public and active transport, and creating cleaner, healthier cities in hot climates.

Cash prizes and discounts

All registered teams receive Certificates of Participation and will be eligible for a 20% scholarship on BSc Sustainability*.

In addition, awards will be made for:

• Best project: AED 2500 + 30% scholarship on BSc Sustainability**
• Second best project: AED 1500
• Third best project: AED 1000

Committee

• Patron: Ben Bailey, Chief Operating Officer
• Organising Chairs: Dr Elena Cantarello and Dr Mohammad Radfar
• Technical Chairs:
  • UoBD: Dr E. Cantarello, Dr M. Radfar, Dr D. Das, Dr A. Ahmed, Dr J. Marire & Dr B. Lei
  • Global Sustainability Hub: Siyyam Malik
  • SEE Institute: Theresa Doan
  • Baladiya Catalyst: Dr Nadine Bitar

How to submit

To submit your entry for the competition, please complete this entry form.

For more information, please email e.cantarello@bham.ac.uk

* Applicable to 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 enrolment, subject to entry requirements and T&C

** Applicable to 2026-2027 enrolment only