Arlington, VA – Solution Search, a global crowdsourcing contest that spotlights local solutions to the world’s most challenging environmental problems, has announced the 10 finalists for the People’s Choice Award in its Solution Search: Changing Unsustainable Trade contest.
The finalists were chosen from a pool of submissions across Latin America and the Caribbean and will be eligible for two $20,000 grand prizes – the Judges’ Prize, which is determined by a panel of experts and the People’s Choice award, which relies on public voting. The winners will be announced in Fall 2023.
Solution Search surfaces and accelerates solutions to environmental challenges that shift individual and community behavior. The approach combines the dynamism of a talent competition, the focus of a mission-driven organization, and the transparency of an online platform to identify how behavioral insights can help solve the world’s most challenging environmental problems.
This year’s contest falls within the framework of the Conservando Juntos project, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rare, and The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The top 10 finalists are:
- One Earth Conservation –Honduras
- ProDelphinus – Perú
- Provita – Venezuela
- Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (Fundaeco) – Guatemala
- SEE – Turtles Latin America/Caribbean
- Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos AC – México
- Instituto de Ecología Regional – Argentina
- Fabien Costeau Ocean Learning Center – Nicaragua
- Fudena – Venezuela
- Profonanpe – Perú
Voting to determine the People’s Choice prize is now open to the public. Individuals can vote once per day for as many days as they want during the voting period. The public can vote between June 21 and July 31 on the Solution Search website.
The Judge’s Choice winner will be chosen by a panel of 15 experts who come from a variety of professions, including academia, television/media, the environmental sector and activism.
In addition to Solution Search prizes, the USAID Prevenir project has partnered with Rare and WCS to launch the Peruvian Amazon Innovation Side Challenge which aims to test innovations in the regions of Loreto, Ucayali and/or Madre de Dios. The total prize money for this contest is up to $100,000. Finalists are currently being determined.
To learn more, please visit www.solutionsearch.org.
About Rare
Rare is an international non-profit organization specializing in social change for people and the planet. For nearly 50 years, Rare has partnered with individuals, communities, and local leaders on the frontlines of conservation to promote the adoption of sustainable practices. With a behavior-based approach, Rare empowers individuals and communities to better manage and protect nature on which we all depend. Learn more at rare.org.
About Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment
Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment (BE.Center) harnesses the science of human behavior to inspire this change. As conservation’s first center to explore the intersection of behavioral science and design for conservation, we are transforming how the environmental field tackles our global challenges. Learn more at behavior.rare.org.
Solution Search, a contest initiated by Rare surfaces, spotlights, and accelerates existing solutions that use behavioral science to help solve the world’s most challenging environmental issues. Since its inception, Solution Search has gathered over 1,050 solutions from 127 countries around the globe. Now in its seventh iteration, Solution Search is designed to focus on one particular conservation challenge per contest and supports finalists and winners to scale their solutions and increase their impact.
About USAID
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide. USAID plays a vital role in protecting critical ecosystems such as the Amazon Basin by conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change, working directly with beneficiaries such as Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The Amazon Regional Environmental Program (AREP) envisions a healthy and resilient Amazon Basin that is valued by society, ensures human well-being, and safeguards our global climate.
About the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org. Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242.