Launch of the Young Aurora 2025-2026 competition
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and United World Colleges (UWC) are delighted to announce that submissions are now open for the next cycle of Young Aurora, a competition that inspires young changemakers to design and implement projects addressing pressing humanitarian challenges in their local communities.
Presented by Aurora in partnership with the UWC and with the participation of Teach for All and the African Leadership Academy (ALA), Young Aurora encourages student teams from UWC and ALA to submit innovative project proposals for a chance to win a USD 10,000 grant to further develop their initiatives.
Since its launch, the programme has empowered numerous student-led projects to create lasting social impact. From 2017 to 2025, Young Aurora has evaluated 145 projects from 19 partner schools and issued 16 grants, with awards totalling USD 50,000. Each proposal is assessed for creativity, sustainability, research quality, and potential for impact. Every year, three finalist teams present their ideas to a distinguished panel of humanitarians, entrepreneurs, and global leaders. All participants receive personalised feedback and mentorship to strengthen their initiatives.
The 2024–2025 Young Aurora winning team from UWC Mahindra was announced during a special ‘Aurora Dialogues’ online event and panel discussion titled “Youth As Changemakers: Driving Social Change.”
The winning team’s initiative, “The Chulha Project,” seeks to replace traditional mud cookstoves (“chulhas”) with locally produced rocket stoves featuring J-shaped combustion chambers. These stoves reduce emissions by up to 86% and firewood usage by 50%, protecting women and children most affected by indoor air pollution.
Initially targeting 50 households in Maharashtra’s Mulshi Valley, the project aims to expand through training programmes and community-based advocacy for clean cooking solutions. The team has used its USD 10,000 grant to bring their vision to life.
Previous winning projects have included:
- Enlightenment (2023-2024) – UWC Changshu China: Empowering rural youth from underprivileged backgrounds through discussion-based learning that fosters self-belief, critical thinking, and community-led social change.
- Combili (2022-2023) – UWC Dilijan: Turning urban biowaste into fertile soil through child-led gardens that promote education, community engagement, and sustainability.
- Seed of Hope (2021) – Waterford Kamhlaba UWC: Empowering young people at Malindza refugee camp in eSwatini through the creation of a youth hub offering online education and a social space.
- Beehive Divide (2020) – UWC East Africa: Constructing a beehive fence to address human–elephant conflict in Sanya Hoyee village, Tanzania.
- “Smokeless Kitchens” (2019)- UWC East Africa: Reducing indoor air pollution in Chagga and Maasai communities by introducing affordable, eco-friendly smokeless stoves that improve health and empower women.
- Amaavasya (2018) – UWC Mahindra College: Enabling women in Maharashtra, India, to engage in taboo-breaking conversations around menstrual stigma.
- DoGood.shop (2017) –UWC Robert Bosch College: Supporting social organisations through a non-profit online marketplace that sells upcycled and handmade products created by refugees and other vulnerable communities.
Aurora and its partners look forward to discovering the next generation of student innovators. As interest in Young Aurora continues to grow, the Initiative seeks to expand partnerships with academic institutions that share its mission to empower young leaders driving positive social change.
View last year’s Young Aurora competition
Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
