Oxford Saïd Global Climate Change Challenge 2025

Welcome to the Oxford Saïd Global Climate Change Challenge 2025, where students and teachers from across the world are invited to join forces in combating the climate crisis ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference, COP30, in Brazil in November.  

Presented by Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, this global competition empowers high school students (aged 15 to 18) and teachers to contribute their innovative ideas and take action against one of humanity's greatest threats: climate change.

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Following the overwhelming success of the global competition in 2024, where we received over 1,000 entries from more than 58 countries, we are excited to continue the journey towards meaningful solutions. The top five student teams will have the honour of presenting their solutions in Oxford, in August 2025, while the top five teachers will present their lesson plans during COP30 November, 2025.   

The student winning team of the global finals will receive an exclusive invitation to attend the two-week Future Climate Innovators Summer School in Oxford in 2026. The winning teacher will receive an exclusive invitation for an in-person Executive Education Programme at the University of Oxford in 2026. 

All the expense for finalists and winners will be covered by Oxford Saïd courtesy of the donations received from generous donors from across the world.  

Why we are doing this

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The next generation will inherit a planet suffering from the extreme effects of climate change, in ways we do not yet understand. We do know that no country, continent or community will be left untouched. From the devastation wrought by drought and floods, threatening the supply of food and water, to the ever-rising number of climate change refugees, tomorrow’s leaders will have significant climate change challenges to contend with. 

Saïd Business School is committed to giving future business leaders the tools and knowledge to innovate in creating a better, safer, cleaner world. That is why we run this competition for the students and teachers that are seeking to protect life on Earth.

What we want you to do

We want to inspire high school students and teachers across the globe to bring their innovation, creativity and problem-solving skills, in generating unique solutions to tackle this crisis, whether at a local, national or global level. 

We are asking entrants to respond to one of five key climate change challenges: 

  1. air pollution
  2. extreme weather events
  3. food security
  4. water scarcity
  5. biodiversity

Themes

Air pollution

Air pollution, caused by factors such as industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust, contributes to respiratory problems and other health issues. 

Students can explore innovative ways to reduce air pollution, such as developing sustainable transportation options or creating air filtration systems for homes and schools.

Extreme weather events

Climate change leads to more frequent and intense extreme weather events like tropical cyclones, droughts and heatwaves - each of which has a significant impact on health. 

High school students can brainstorm solutions to help communities better prepare for and respond to these events, like designing early warning systems, developing resilient infrastructure or creating sustainable farming practices through what is called agritech.

Food security

Climate change impacts agriculture, making it harder to produce enough food to feed everyone. Food scarcity directly impacts nutrition, and malnutrition is a major risk factor for many diseases. 

High school students can explore solutions to improve food security, like vertical farming techniques, sustainable farming practices or developing climate-resilient crop varieties.

Biodiversity

As ecosystems face unprecedented threats due to climate change, preserving biodiversity becomes paramount for sustaining life on our planet. From protecting endangered species to restoring fragile habitats, students are encouraged to propose initiatives that promote biodiversity conservation and restoration.

Water scarcity

Climate change affects water availability, leading to droughts in some areas and floods in others. Having too little water can contribute to significant health issues, while floods can cause other health hazards. 

Students can propose ways to conserve water and manage resources more effectively, such as implementing rainwater harvesting systems, developing innovative irrigation methods, or designing water filtration systems for communities in need.

Student teams

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Entry opens 3 March 2025 to 23:59 GMT on 30 June 2025

We want you to set out your big idea, explain your inspiration, show how you think it will make a difference and consider how your solution could be turned into a reality. Your team can include students from just a single school, from multiple schools, from the same country or from different regions. 

Entries must: 

  • be from a team of 3-5 students aged 15-18. Note entries from individuals will not be accepted.
  • be submitted in the form of a 10-page PowerPoint presentation. The file name should be in the following format 'team name/full school name/country name/' and should be saved as a PDF (ideally under 10mb). For teams not from the same school please follow the same format and include details of a nominated team leader.
  • include a video you have made of up to three minutes in length. You will be able to upload this through the submission portal.
  • include a completed consent form for each student, signed by a parent or guardian.
Submit your team entry

Teachers

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Entry opens 3 March 2025 to 23:59 GMT on 30 June 2025

We are asking high school teachers across the globe to set the agenda in the classroom with lessons that raise awareness among students about the dangers of climate change, and encourage them to think creatively about solutions.  

Entries must:

  • be from an individual teacher. Team entries will not be accepted.
  • include a series of lesson plans, which you aim to make part of your school’s curriculum. The file name should be in the format ‘surname_first-name_ school-name_town name’ and these should be saved as a PDF (ideally under 10mb)
Submit your entry

Student teams

  • Identifying the problem
  • Research and analysis of the issue
  • Level of innovation and creativity
  • Feasibility and practicality of implementing your solution
  • The impact and stability of solution; is it scalable?
  • Clarity of presentation
  • Collaboration and teamwork
  • Ethical considerations and wider impact; is the approach inclusive and fair?
  • Sustainability and long-term impact of the proposal
  • Overall impression - professionalism, passion and commitment

Teachers

  • Educational impact
  • Alignment with curriculum
  • Innovation and creativity
  • Clarity and structure
  • Engagement and student participation
  • Assessment and evaluation
  • Integration of technology
  • Ethical considerations and stakeholder impact
  • Practicality and replicability
  • Overall impression

Next steps

  1. Judging

    A panel of international judges, with expertise in business, healthcare and climate change solutions, is currently being selected and will soon be announced. Once the competition closes (on 30 June 2025) judges will begin scoring the entries with the top five finalist student teams and teachers announced in July 2025.

  2. Global finals

    The winning student teams will then be invited to participate in the finals of the Oxford Saïd Global Climate Change Challenge 2025 at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in August 2025. 

    The winning teacher will be invited to participate in the finals of the Oxford Saïd Global Climate Change Challenge 2025 at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025.

  3. Prizes

    The winning student team of the global finals will then be invited to attend a tailored Future Climate Innovators programme in 2026 in Oxford, taught by Oxford University’s world renowned academics. 

    The winning teacher of the Global finals will be invited to attend an Executive Education Programme at Oxford Saïd in Oxford, in 2026. 

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