Winners 2026

Congratulations YRE Winners!

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2026 YRE Canada National Competition, and thanks to everyone who submitted such inspiring entries this year! To raise awareness, youth investigated environmental issues in their communities and shared their stories through video, photography, and writing. Winners of this year’s competition are below. We hope you enjoy them and share them with your community!

Photography | Ages 11-14

Two Futures, One Harvest

  • Author: Twisha
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: Macville Public School
  • SDG GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-Being

A single pumpkin stands at the centre of this split image, stuck between two very different worlds. One side shows nature, greenery, soil, and the conditions that allow food to grow. The other is overshadowed by pollution and industry. Together, they show how the same harvest can both thrive and struggle, left to be determined by the environment around it. The pumpkin becomes a symbol of both plenty and little. As climate change puts more pressure on farming, crop yields decline and food insecurity grows. This difference shows how our environmental choices directly shape our food systems. Youth-led climate action, community gardens, and sustainable farming programs can help us move towards a greener path.

The Great Hunger – How a Changing Climate Threatens Our Food

  • Author: Dhruvi, Srihan & Charvi 
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: Macville Public School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

Climate change causes droughts, floods and sudden temperature changes, which damages crops and makes it harder to grow enough food for everyone. When food is thrown away, it makes it less available and the resources that are used to make the item, gets wasted. If we do not reduce the waste and protect our environment, future generations will face serious issues.

The Last Bite

  • Author: Asha & Elizabeth
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: Zion Heights Middle School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

As the soil beneath us slowly dries, what will be left to grow? This image captures the impact of climate change on our food systems, where healthy land becomes dry and unproductive. A small, struggling plant sits alone on a plate, a symbol of how food may become limited and separated from nature. As we continue to consume without addressing environmental damage, we are left facing a future where food security is no longer guaranteed but uncertain and at risk.

 

Photography | Ages 15-18

Life for the soul, nectar for the body

  • Author: Agaazvir, Bowen & Gurmehar (The Green Team)
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: Seaquam Secondary School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

As time displays its everlasting effects, the deprivation of food becomes ever so apparent. According to Food Banks Canada, approximately 25.5% of Canadians are living in food insecure households, accounting for over 10 million Canadians. While it seems like a tough nut to crack, there is an apparent solution: confronting systemic neglect. Our picture displays systemic neglect and a glaring disconnect between the mindset of the needy and the wealthy. While the poor live supply to supply, the wealthy remain inconsiderate, displaying no remorse to those impecunious. When will we decide enough is enough and stand against the system?

Sources: Food Banks Canada:  Report used for first fact, Adobe was used to advance background lighting, and lighting on fruit.

 

Harvesting Hope!

  • Author: Gurmehar & Tanya (GT)
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: Seaquam Secondary School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

This picture symbolizes the possibility for growth, even when all hope seems lost. We often assume that a wrinkly and sprouting potato is inedible, and in first world countries, that means it is ready to discard. However, even old and conventionally unattractive food like the one seen in this photo, can give way to life. If planted, this sprouting potato can yield anywhere from 5 to 10 more potatoes, providing future sustenance. Though seemingly small, this potato plays just as important of a role in its natural ecosystems as the colossal coniferous trees seen behind it. Similarly, world hunger and the environmental impacts of large scale agriculture can be combatted by respecting and critically applying nature’s existing balances.

Growing Through Pollution

  • Author: Suzie & Megan (Planters)
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: Seaquam Secondary School
  • SDG GOAL 15: Life on Land

“Growing Through The Pollution Of Earth

There’s a tiny green plant growing next to some plastic trash in the dirt. It’s trying to grow but the trash is all around it and makes it especially hard. Nature keeps growing but the harmful plastics stay there for years. Over time this causes harm to our ecosystem and animals. This image highlights the contrast between natural growth and human impact. It shows how pollution changes the land we live on and forces nature to adapt instead of thrive. Every piece of plastic we leave behind disrupts life, reminding us that protecting nature is a responsibility we all share.”

Articles | Ages 11-14

Environmentally Conscious Cattle Farming: A Necessity for the Modern Beef Industry

  • Author: Noah
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: Literacy And Mathematics Academy
  • SDG GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Read here

From Field to Food Bank: Peel’s Hidden Food Crisis

  • Author: Rutvi, Kabir & Advait
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: Macville Public School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
Read here

The Consequences We Face When We Waste Our Food 

  • Author: Pehel
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: Morning Star Middle School
  • SDG GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Read here

Articles | Ages 15-18

Ontario’s Disappearing Farmlands: Where Pavement Ends

  • Author: Cybil
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: École secondaire Michelle-O’bonsawin
  • SDG: GOAL 13: Climate Action
Read here

These conditions are not going to fix themselves: apple trees in Ontario

  • Author: Viviane
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: École secondaire Michelle-O’bonsawin
  • SDG: GOAL 13: Climate Action
Read here

How the Juncao Technology saved Poverty and Famine in Rwanda

  • Author: Itamar
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: Colonel by Secondary School
  • SDG: GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
Read here

Videos | Ages 11-14

The National: Food Insecurity

  • Author: Emma, Ahyoung, Tesh, Emily & Elyse (Triple TEA)
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: Zion Heights Middle School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

Food in Toronto, Food Insecurity

  • Author: Ahyoung, Avery, Tesh, Elyse & Emma (Willful Mighty Sophisticated Combination)
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: Zion Heights Middle School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

Pesticides: Poisoned From The Ground Up

  • Author: Rutvi, Advait & Kabir (R.A.K)
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: Macville Public School
  • SDG GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Videos | Ages 15-18

A Bloody Truth: The Waste Behind The Cycle

  • Author: Madi & Ryah
  • Award: 1st Place
  • School: École secondaire Michelle-O’Bonsawin
  • SDG GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Climate Isn’t Just Weather: It’s a Food Crisis

  • Author: Emily
  • Award: 2nd Place
  • School: Francis Libermann Catholic High School
  • SDG GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

How Wildfires Contribute to Climate Change

  • Author: Daniel & Vincent
  • Award: 3rd Place
  • School: École secondaire Michelle-O’Bonsawin
  • SDG GOAL 13: Climate Action