New England Youths Can Be Nominated for Environmental Award - Deadline is Wed., Oct. 31

The deadline to submit applications for the prestigious President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) is October 31. The PEYA program, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency since 1971, recognizes young people across America for projects that demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Young people in all 50 states and the U.S. territories are invited to participate in the program.

Projects submitted in the past have covered a wide range of subject areas including recycling programs in schools and communities; construction of nature preserves; major tree planting programs; videos, skits, and newsletters created by students that focused on environmental issues; and environmental science projects. To be eligible to compete, K-12 students sponsored by an adult must submit a completed application to their local EPA regional office. Projects are judged on such criteria as the extent to which the student is involved in the design and implementation, the environmental need, and how successful and innovative the project is.

One outstanding project in each of the 10 EPA regions will be selected to receive a presidential plaque and to attend an EPA-sponsored award ceremony. In previous years, winners received their awards from the President of the United States at the White House and at the EPA headquarters offices in Washington D.C.