Call for Entry

Call for Entry: 2027 Innovate4Impact Challenge

Young Minds. Bold Ideas. Technology for Impact.

Innovate4Impact is a global innovation and entrepreneurship challenge for high school teams using technology and enterprise to create environmental, social, and economic impact.

25-30 July 2027 Edinburgh, Scotland

Registration Form View 2027 Focus

2027 Challenge Focus

Climate Action & Responsible Consumption

In 2027, Innovate4Impact focuses on urgent climate action and smarter production and consumption. How can we use technology and entrepreneurship to tackle climate change and create a more sustainable future?

SDG 13

Climate Action

SDG 12

Responsible Consumption & Production

Explore Ideas In

AIRenewable EnergyRecyclingCircular EconomySustainable FashionFood WasteAgricultureTransportSmart CitiesEnergy EfficiencyEnvironmental MonitoringClimate Education

14-Week Innovation Journey

From Problem Discovery to Final Pitch

Download the curriculum and challenge resources to guide your team from problem discovery to final pitch, with prototype milestones, community action, campaigning, and impact measurement.

Identify a Problem

Find a real climate or consumption problem affecting your school, community, city, or country.

Choose Your SDG

Connect your idea to SDG 13 Climate Action, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption, or both.

Develop the Solution

Use technology and entrepreneurship to create a product, service, campaign, or venture.

Build a Prototype

Create something people can see, test, use, or understand: a demo, model, app, service, or pilot.

Develop Your Venture

Clarify the users, value proposition, business model, partnerships, and next milestones.

Measure Your Impact

Show how your project could reduce waste, emissions, cost, risk, or improve climate awareness.

Pitch

Present the problem, solution, prototype, venture plan, and measurable impact to judges.

Finished the 14-Week Journey?

When your team has completed its project, submit the final entry with its evidence, results, and impact story.

Submit Final Project Entry

Challenge Resources

Everything Teams Need to Think, Build, and Demonstrate Impact

These are the official Innovate4Impact learning, research, venture, impact, and championship documents. Each opens in a new tab for viewing or download.

Curriculum

14-Week Lesson Plan Curriculum

A week-by-week guide from SDG discovery and research to the final pitch and awards.

View or Download Championship

Competition Overview

Championship presentation format, annual-report guidance, equipment, awards, and event expectations.

View or Download Discovery

SDG Challenge Wall

A facilitated activity to move from an SDG to a real problem, evidence, an idea, and measurable impact.

View or Download Discovery

Personal Problem Interest Card

A practical worksheet to help students identify the local problem they want to investigate.

View or Download Research

Problem Evidence Sheet

A structured research tool for gathering interviews, surveys, observations, and supporting data.

View or Download Build

Technology Solution Plan

A planning guide for the solution, technology choices, users, prototype, testing, and responsible delivery.

View or Download Venture

Lean Business Model Canvas

A worksheet for clarifying customers, value, costs, revenue, partners, and impact sustainability.

View or Download Impact

Impact Measurement Dashboard

A framework for defining indicators, collecting evidence, and reporting environmental and community results.

View or Download Pitch

Judge Guide and Scoring Framework

The complete 100-point assessment rubric, pitch expectations, and judging criteria for teams and coaches.

View or Download

Competition Details

Choose Your Route Into Impact

Every entry should connect to climate action, responsible consumption, or both. These routes help teams shape a focused project.

SDG 13, resilience, and climate intelligence

Climate Action Challenge

Create technology-backed ideas that help schools and communities understand, reduce, or adapt to climate risks.

View Challenge

SDG 12, waste reduction, and circular design

Responsible Consumption Challenge

Build ventures that reduce waste, extend product life, encourage smarter purchasing, or turn unused materials into value.

View Challenge

AI, energy, hardware, and smart systems

Clean Technology Challenge

Explore AI, renewable energy, IoT, robotics, or smart-city tools that reduce emissions and improve everyday systems.

View Challenge

Local enterprise, behaviour change, and shared action

Sustainable Communities Challenge

Design community-led products, campaigns, services, or enterprises that make sustainable living more inclusive and practical.

View Challenge

Business model, prototype, and measurable impact

Impact Venture Pitch

Turn a climate or responsible-consumption idea into a credible venture with users, a prototype, and a compelling pitch.

View Challenge

Global Challenge 2027

Innovation, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Community Action and Culture

The Innovate4Impact Global Challenge Championship 2027 brings together young innovators from schools around the world for an exciting week in Edinburgh. Students will showcase solutions linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and demonstrate how their ideas can become measurable impact.

This is more than a competition. It is an opportunity for young people to turn ideas into action, technology into solutions, and projects into measurable impact.

View Competition Overview Submit Your Entry

Important Submission Deadlines

Early Submission Deadline: 31 March 2027

Schools are encouraged to submit early to allow time for any necessary corrections or additional evidence.

Final Submission Deadline: 30 April 2027

Please ensure all project information and supporting evidence are submitted by 30 April 2027. Late submissions may not be considered for the 2027 Championship.

What Your Team Has To Do

Seven Steps From Problem to Pitch

Identify a Problem

Find a real climate or sustainability challenge.

Choose Your SDG

Address SDG 13, SDG 12, or both.

Develop Your Solution

Use technology, creativity, and innovation.

Build a Prototype

Demonstrate how your solution works.

Develop Your Venture

Create a sustainable business or social-enterprise model.

Measure Your Impact

Show how your solution could make a difference.

Pitch

Present your idea to expert judges.

Why Take Part?

Build Skills, Prototype Solutions, and Compete for Opportunities

Innovate4Impact gives young people the opportunity to learn by building: researching real problems, testing ideas, creating ventures, and communicating their impact to mentors, industry leaders, and judges.

Learn new technology and entrepreneurship skills.

Build a real prototype.

Solve a problem that matters.

Collaborate with other young innovators.

Pitch to expert judges.

Measure potential impact.

Connect with mentors and industry.

Compete for awards and opportunities.

Students

Open to high school students working in a team on a technology and entrepreneurship solution.

Teams

Each team should have at least 5 students. Diverse skills in research, design, technology, business, and pitching are encouraged.

Schools & Youth Organisations

Schools and youth organisations may register multiple teams and appoint a teacher or adult team coach.

Championship Week

Finalists gather in Edinburgh from 25-30 July 2027 for innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, and pitch activities.

Our Aim

Think. Build. Entrepreneur. Impact.

Innovate4Impact empowers young people to become problem-solvers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. Students learn to turn urgent problems into practical solutions with measurable social, environmental, and economic value.