Non-profit architecture forum The World Around has announced the 25 finalists of its Young Climate Prize, which celebrates young creatives who have developed projects that address and mitigate the impact of climate change.

The 25 creatives are from diverse socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds and have been selected by The World Around for their ingenuity.

Some of the finalists include researcher Anushuka Shahdadpuri, who is developing a network of ways to accelerate clean water in India; photographer Aida Namukose, who has documented women in the food industry in Uganda affected by climate change; and designer Esther Olalude, who has created affordable sanitary pads from recycled waste.

Other finalists include designer Moemen Sobh, who has developed a fish-skin leather with the aim of supporting the fishing industry in Egypt, and Joseph Nguthiru, a chemist who has invented a biodegradable plastic made from water hyacinth.

Each of the 25 creatives will be mentored by a leading name in the architecture and design industry who will support and coach them. Among the 25 mentors is MoMa curator Paola Antonelli, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao and South African architect Sumayya Vally.

After the mentorship, three designers will be invited to New York City to present their work at The World Around's annual Summit at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum on Earth Day, 22 April 2023.

"The World Around is committed to focusing on what is happening now and how it can change the future," said founder and director of The World Around Beatrice Galilee.

"This group of inspiring young activists, inventors, entrepreneurs, writers and poets have shown us where the world's attention should focus. Their generation has a vested interest in finding solutions to our biggest challenges."

The World Around is a New York City-based platform that was established in 2020 by Galilee and Diego Marroquin.

It is dedicated to sharing the latest design and architecture through an interdisciplinary and global lens, which aims to spotlight unique and radical design projects dedicated to climate resilience.

The finalists have been grouped into five different themes: Words Matter, Creating Connections, Innovators and Inventors, All About Water and Radical Reuse.

Below are the 25 finalists of The World Around's Young Climate Prize mentorship initiative:

Words Matter

Alfonse Chiu, researcher
Project/research topic: examining neocolonial flows of tropical fruits
Location: Singapore
Mentor: Paola Antonelli, MoMA curator and author

Aziba Ekio, poet
Project/research topic: a poetry collection called The Colour Green
Location: Nigeria
Mentor: Sumayya Vally, architect

Pamela Elizarrarás Acitores, writer and photographer
Project/research topic: a project focused on climate change called Climate Words
Location: Mexico
Mentor: Mariana Pestana, architect, researcher and curator

Mangaliso Ngcobo and Sam Harding, writers and editors
Project/research topic: TWIST magazine
Location: South Africa
Mentor: Susan Sellers, founding partner and executive creative director of 2x4

Nastia Volynova, researcher
Project/research topic: examining changes in forms of labour due to climate change
Location: Russia
Mentor: Carson Chan, curator and writer

Aida Namukose, photographer
Project/research topic: documenting women working in the food industry in Uganda who are affected by climate change
Location: Uganda
Mentor: José Esparza Chong Cuy, curator

Creating Connections

Marilita Quintana Molina, artist
Project/research topic: collecting plastic waste from her local region in Chile with the intention of using it to improve her community
Location: Chile
Mentor: Abraham Cruzvillegas, artist

Shariffa Amolo Anguria, activist
Project/research topic: research focusing on the impacts of traditional gold mining
Location: Kenya
Mentor: Joar Nango, architect and artist

Raihan Rabbannee Hendrawan, facilitator
Project/research topic: a project focused on engaging young people in climate action
Location: Indonesia
Mentor: Emma Osore, co-managing director at BlackSpace

Sophia Tabibian and Lulu Goulet-Hofsass, community leaders
Project/research topic: an online climate hub for global activists
Location: USA
Mentor: Bruce Mau, designer

Sahithi Radha, activist
Occupation and research topic: developing an e-waste collection and recycling initiative
Location: India
Mentor: deputy director of education and public engagement at The Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, Cyra Levenson

Hannah Segerkrantz, product designer
Project/research topic: the use of hemp as an eco-friendly building material through an open-source design
Location: Estonia
Mentor: Wael Al Awar, principal of Waiwai design

Innovators and Inventors

Jin Gao, researcher
Project/research topic: researcher examining the survival of bees in volatile climate conditions
Location: China
Mentor: Alder Keleman Saxena

David Andrés Vega Monsalve, artist
Project/research topic: using virtual reality to spotlight the effects of flooding in Pakistan
Location: Colombia
Mentor: Camila Marambio, curator

Ichor Joshua Keghnen, mechanical engineer
Project/research topic: a device to monitor pollution in boreholes and water wells
Location: Nigeria
Mentor: Max Fraser, design writer

Chris Vrettos, energy advocate
Location: Greece
Project/research topic: a project focusing on Greece's first all-solar community.
Mentor: Aric Chen, curator

Esther Olalude, designer
Location: Nigeria
Project/research topic: creating affordable sanitary towels from recycled waste
Mentor: Etta Madete, architect and co-founder and director of Zima Homes

All About Water

Namra Khalid, researcher
Location: Pakistan
Project/research topic: producing Pakistan's first socio-climatic map to address floods in Karachi, Pakistan
Mentor: Henk Ovink, environmental leader

Anushuka Shahdadpuri, designer
Location: India
Project/research topic: developing a network of ways to accelerate clean water in India
Mentor: Noura Al Sayeh Holtrop, architect and curator

Joseph Nguthiru, chemist
Location: Kenya
Project/research topic: a biodegradable plastic made from water hyacinth
Mentor: Jan Boelen, designer

Radical Reuse

Gabriela Angelina Bernal Ibáñez, engineer and architect
Location: Mexico
Project/research topic: a research project investigating the use of recycled panels in Mexico
Mentor: Ensamble Studio, architecture practice

Foday David Kamara, researcher
Location: Rwanda
Project/research topic: a social enterprise in Rwanda with the aim of reducing plastic waste
Mentor: Dominic Leong, co-founder of Leong Leong Architecture

Moemen Sobh, architect
Location: Egypt
Project/research topic: the development of a leather from fish skin
Mentor: Nelly Ben Hayoun, designer

Mohammed Dimma Mawejje, designer
Location: Uganda
Project/research topic: using agriculture waste and second-hand clothes to create bags, earrings and dresses
Mentor: Isabelle Quivelly, head of Creative Shop, Facebook UK

Stanley Anigbogu, designer
Location: Nigeria
Project/research topic: a project providing access to energy for students and refugees in Nigeria
Mentor: Harry Pearce, designer