Youth Energy Efficiency Leadership Award

Please note that submissions are now closed.

Young people play a pivotal role in the uptake of energy efficiency, increasingly taking the lead in driving change across the energy landscape. To recognise and showcase examples of youth leadership, the International Energy Agency (IEA), in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, is launching the inaugural Youth Energy Efficiency Leadership Award.  

This competition seeks to award youth-led initiatives that are making meaningful contributions to advance energy efficiency across diverse contexts, highlighting the critical role of young people in driving real-world impact. The winners will receive full sponsorship to attend and take part in the 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency co-hosted by the Government of Canada and the IEA in Montreal, Canada, on 29-30 June 2026. 

The Global Conference is the IEA's flagship international event on energy efficiency, bringing together ministers, CEOs, and senior leaders from government, finance, and business to share solutions on energy efficiency-related topics and drive progress forward. 

Eligible projects may include, for instance, online or in-person capacity building to promote energy saving behaviours, hands-on trainings for installing energy efficient technology, campaigns raising awareness about the benefits of efficiency, community engagement to design innovative energy solutions, and grassroots actions improving access to efficient technologies. Both fully established programmes, early‑stage or testing‑phase ideas are welcome.  

Projects should demonstrate on‑the‑ground action addressing local challenges and can be led by individuals, informal groups, or formally registered entities, regardless of scale, funding level, or stage of development. 

Entry is free of charge. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of the Competition rules and the Terms and Conditions. 

• Age: 18-29 years old 

• Language: Able to communicate in English or French 

• Availability: Travel to Montreal, Canada.

• Passport: Valid or able to obtain one in time 

The selection Committee will review all submissions according to the criteria below. Applicants should ensure their proposal clearly demonstrates the elements below. Your entry will be judged on: 

• Problem Definition and Relevance: Identifies a meaningful energy efficiency-related challenge and explains its significance within the local or community context. 

• Methodology: Presents a clear, coherent, and feasible approach, with steps, activities, tools, or methods appropriately designed to achieve the project’s objectives. 

• Impact: Shows early evidence of benefits or demonstrates a credible potential for positive outcomes for people, communities, or energy systems. These may include social, behavioural, technical, or economic effects. 

• Representation: Reflects awareness of local needs, conditions, or constraints and demonstrates how the project’s approach responds to these factors. Adaptability or responsiveness to feedback may also be highlighted. 

The organisers and judges reserve the right to disqualify any entries from the competition that breach any of the Competition rules, applicable law or the Terms and Conditions or would be likely to bring the Organisers (or an IEA member country) into material disrepute.  

Only winners will be informed after the selection process. By entering the competition, the Organisers shall be under no obligation to contact any participant or use any submission, and the participants shall have no claims against the Organisers in this regard. 

• Application launch: April 2026 

• Proposal submissions deadline: 30 April 2026 

• Selection of winners: First half of May 2026

• Winners’ announcement: Second half of May 2026 

• Preparation and logistics: May-June 2026 

• Conference participation: June 2026

Subject to any potential travel, financial or logistical restrictions, it is anticipated that up to five (5) participants will receive full sponsorship to attend the 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal, Canada, on 28-30th June 2026. The winners will have the opportunity to: 

• Possibility to present their projects in a live pitch-style showcase at the Event 

• Possibility to participate in sessions at the Event 

• Engage at the Event with high-level energy experts from around the world 

• Receive full funding to travel to the event (as to be further clarified in writing to winners) 

• Details of travel coverage, accommodation, and logistical support will be communicated in writing to selected participants. 

• Gain visibility for their project across the IEA's platforms 

 
*We strongly encourage women, Indigenous Peoples and nationals of emerging economies and developing markets to apply 
**We invite candidates to use their own words to answer the open questions below without the support of additional AI-writing tools.

• The copyright of the materials submitted for this competition remains with the respective participants. However, each participant agrees to grant the Organisers a royalty-free, perpetual, sublicensable, worldwide license (a) to use the submitted materials for purposes of evaluation of this contest and (b) if selected, to reproduce, distribute, display to the public and make any other use that the Organisers wish to make of the materials during the Event, provided any external distribution and display gives appropriate attribution to the copyright owner. 

• With their submission, the participants warrant that (a) they have all required permissions and rights to participate in the competition and submit their entry, and (b) any provided materials, as well as any use by the Organisers, shall not infringe the rights of any third parties or any applicable law, regulation, code, order, direction or by‐law. Participants agree to indemnify and keep the Organisers fully indemnified from and against any claim, damage, loss (whether foreseeable or not), liability or cost including reasonable legal fees in respect thereof. 

• Participants are responsible for ensuring that any thirdparty content included within their project documentation is original, licensed, or used with appropriate permission. 

• The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) is committed to protecting the personal data it processes, in accordance with its Personal Data Protection Rules. 

• The International Energy Agency will use an application form to collect personal data, including name, age, email address, country of nationality, country of residence and gender. The data will be used to contact the winners of the competitions, to ensure diversity and arrange any travel logistics. 

• The personal data we collect will be stored in the cloud under SharePoint and retained until July 2026 and then destroyed. Only select IEA staff and external judges will have access to your data. 

• Under the Rules, you have rights to access and rectify your personal data, as well as to object to its processing, and request erasure in certain circumstances. To exercise these rights in connection with the competition, please contact us at energy.efficiency@iea.org . 

• If you have further queries or complaints related to the processing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer. If you need further assistance in resolving claims related to personal data protection you can contact the Data Protection Commissioner. 

The rules listed below form the Terms and Conditions of the IEA Youth Leadership Award competition. Please note that by submitting an entry electronically, you are deemed to have agreed to and accepted these rules. 

This competition is administered by the International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous agency within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

1.  Entrants may only enter the competition online and by submitting their entry in accordance with the instructions set out on the “website”. There are no monetary costs to enter the competition. 

2. The closing date for entries is the one indicated in the relevant competition call. 

3. All entrants must be over 18 and under 29 years of age. 

4. Proof of age will be required from all winners. 

5. The text and title accompanying the entry must be submitted in English or French. Entries submitted in other languages will be disregarded. 

6. IEA employees and all members of their immediate family are not eligible to enter the competition. 

7. Each entry must include the name, country of nationality, country of residence, confirmation of eligible age, email address, and a project description meeting the specifications outlined in the competition rules and the application questionnaire.  

8. Entries must be submitted through the completion of the designated online form. 

9. Any entry submitted must be the work of the individual. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that the submitted project has been submitted with the permission of other owners – if applicable - and does not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of any third party. The entrant warrants that they own the copyright and intellectual property rights for the projects, that they have permission to submit such projects in this competition and that their entry complies with all applicable law and does not infringe on the intellectual property or privacy rights, copyright or any other rights of any person or entity. 

10. All visual elements embodied in each entry must be fully cleared by the entrant for the IEA’s use as part of the competition. Entrants must ensure that such use of their entry or elements of their entry as part of the competition and any use by the IEA shall not infringe the rights of any third parties or any applicable law, regulation, code, order, direction or by‐law and entrants shall indemnify and keep the IEA fully indemnified from and against any claim, damage, loss (whether foreseeable or not), liability or cost including reasonable legal fees in respect thereof. 

11. The entrant warrants that they have obtained the permission of other owners or parties involved in the project for the usage rights required by the competition and will indemnify the IEA against any claims made by any third parties in respect of such infringement. To be eligible, projects may only include persons of 18 years or older. If project materials include images or testimonials involving individuals under 18, entrants must ensure appropriate consent has been obtained for their inclusion. 

12. Entrants retain the copyright to the materials they submit for this competition. However, as a condition of participation, each entrant grants the IEA a licence to use the materials for evaluation. If selected, the materials would be displayed publicly, and entrants shall provide the IEA permission to distribute their work to the public. 

13 Projects submitted to the IEA Youth Energy Efficiency Leadership Award must adhere to the following rules to ensure accuracy, transparency, and fairness in the competition: 

• The project must be an initiative developed, led, or co‑led by the entrant or their team/organisation. Entries must not misrepresent activities, partnerships, accomplishments, or impacts. 

• All descriptions of the project - including its objectives, activities, methods, beneficiaries, results, and stage of development - must be truthful, evidence‑based, and accurately reflect the project’s real status as requested in the application form. 

• Entrants must be prepared to submit additional documentation upon request from the IEA to verify the existence, implementation, or impact of their project. Such documentation may include planning documents, activity descriptions, reports, monitoring data, photos or videos of activities, testimonies, press coverage, social media or website links, or any other relevant supporting material. 

• Any project materials submitted must be cleared for use in the competition. Entrants must ensure that any documents, images, data, or media included in the application do not infringe on the rights of any third party and comply with all applicable laws, including data protection and intellectual property requirements. 

• Any fabrication of project activities, results, data, or partnerships - or any attempt to mislead the Organisers - will result in immediate disqualification. 

• The IEA reserves the right to conduct verification checks, request clarifications, or contact referenced partners or beneficiaries to confirm the accuracy of the information provided. Failure to supply requested evidence within a reasonable timeframe will result in disqualification. 

14. By entering the competition, entrants agree that if an entry does not comply with the technical, artistic or legal specifications set out herein or if the IEA in its sole discretion requires, the IEA shall be within their rights to disqualify any such entries. 

15. By entering the competition, entrants agree that the IEA shall be under no obligation to exploit, distribute and/or exhibit any submission and the entrants shall have no claim against the IEA in this regard. 

16. The IEA shall select up to five winners. Winners would be offered an opportunity to travel to the IEA Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal in June. The IEA reserves the right to select several finalists, whose projects may be showcased at the Conference through written, visual, or oral presentations, after receiving appropriate permission to distribute their work to the public. 

17. The winners will have provided an entry in accordance with the Terms and Conditions. Winners will be the entrants who submit the best entry, as determined by the IEA in accordance with the criteria outlined in the competition rules. 

18. The winners of the competition will be selected following the close of the competition submission stage and will be announced to winners only. The winners will be notified by email of their selection. 

19. The IEA will actively endeavour to contact the winners with arrangements for their travel to Montreal from anywhere in the world to attend the IEA Global Conference for a period of 2 (two) weeks following the selection of winners. In the event that the IEA is unable to contact the winner in this notification period, the IEA reserves the right to reallocate the prize. 

20. The IEA’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. 

21. The IEA reserves the right to select an alternative winner in the event that the IEA has reasonable grounds for believing that a selected winner has contravened any of these Terms and Conditions of entry. 

22. The IEA can accept no responsibility for entries lost, delayed, misdirected, damaged or undelivered. 

23. Incomplete and/or illegible entries will be disqualified. The IEA shall not be responsible for technical errors in telecommunications networks, Internet access or otherwise, preventing entry to the competition. 

24. The IEA shall not be liable to the winners for any loss or damage howsoever caused (whether in contract, tort or statutory duty or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the competition and the entry submitted by such winners. 

25. The IEA shall not be liable for any delay in performing or partial or total failure to perform any of its obligations to the winners and/or their guests under these competition Terms and Conditions if such delay or failure is caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including without limitation delays, changes, disruptions, cancellations, diversions or substitutions howsoever caused, including without limitation, as a result of war, terrorist action or threatened terrorist action, strikes, hostilities, civil commotions, accidents, fire, flood or natural catastrophes or arising, without limitation, out of or in connection with the activities of third party event organisers. 

26. Any personal information, including without limitation, the entrant's age range, nationality, and email address will be used solely in connection with this competition and as set out in these Terms and Conditions and will not be disclosed to any third party, except for the purpose of sharing the list of finalists with external judges and arranging travel for the winners where applicable and providing a list of the names of the winners. Any personal information held by the IEA in respect of any competition will be held on record for a short period for the purpose of ensuring the fulfilment of the competition and then destroyed. 

27. All entrants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, which may be amended or varied at any time by the IEA without notice. 

These Terms and Conditions shall govern the rules of the competition. Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms and Conditions, or the breach, termination or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the PCA Arbitration Rules 2012. The number of arbitrators shall be one. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings shall be English. The place of arbitration shall be Paris (France). The Parties expressly renounce their right to seek the annulment or setting-aside of any award rendered by the arbitral tribunal, or if this renunciation is not legally possible, the Parties expressly agree that if an award rendered by the arbitral tribunal is annulled, the jurisdiction ruling on the annulment proceedings cannot rule on the merits of the case. The dispute will therefore be settled by new arbitral proceedings in accordance with this section. Nothing in or in relation to these Terms and Conditions shall be construed as a waiver, express or implied, of the OECD/IEA’s immunities and privileges as an international organisation.