Calling all eco-warriors, creators, and future scientists! If you are in Grades 6 to 9 and live in the Western Cape, it is time to turn your boldest ideas into real-world action. The Western Cape Environmental Education Friends (WCEEF)—alongside major green champions like CapeNature, SANParks, and the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation—has officially launched The Big Biodiversity Challenge.
This year’s competition ties directly into international Biodiversity Month this May, running under the global 2026 theme: “Acting Locally for Global Impact.” According to Khuthala Swanepoel, Chair for the WCEEF and the Deputy Director for Sustainable Awareness, Education & Empowerment Department: DEA & DP (Western Cape Government), “The theme underscores how small, community-driven actions can drive meaningful global change and calls on all stakeholders to contribute to local initiatives that support a healthy, sustainable environment where people and nature can thrive together.”
This is not your average school assignment. The competition invites learners to submit innovative action-based projects that address the diverse threats facing biodiversity by “not only proposing solutions, but also trying, testing, or putting their ideas into practice.”
Whether you want to tackle climate change, stop habitat loss, or protect endangered species, you need to show how your ideas have been applied in response to a real biodiversity challenge. This is a chance for learners to “step up, share bold ideas, and show how young voices can shape real solutions for the future of our planet.”
You can enter by yourself or as a group, and entries may take the form of scientific investigations, creative arts pieces, or social initiatives. Through this approach, the challenge aims to inspire critical thinking and creativity in developing practical, nature-based solutions that advance environmental protection while supporting human wellbeing.
By entering, you are not just helping the planet – you also stand a chance to win some incredible prizes. Winners can score cool gear like Working on Fire T-shirts, DFFE water bottles, and USB sticks. If you are looking for an adventure, you could win a CapeNature educational outing to Stony Point, or a Table Mountain National Park environmental education experience at Boulders and Cape Point, including a cable car ride. Additional prizes include a class visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium with an educational lesson, as well as an outreach environmental education visit.
Building on South Africa’s role as host of the first Global Flagship Event for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, the Big Biodiversity Challenge calls on young people to turn local ideas into real-world environmental impact. It is highly recommended that teachers motivate their students to enter this competition and become part of the movement to protect our extraordinary environment for generations to come. If you are ready to think boldly, get creative, and design practical solutions to environmental challenges, speak to your teacher and get your entry started today!
Jellybean Journal Reporter
iol.co.za