Season 1

Season 2026

Name: 2026 Global Climate Academy Sustainability Breakthroughs U20+ “Evergreen Challenge”: Demo Day & U20+ Summit
Start: 2026-04-18
End: 2026-04-19
Location: HKUST Shanghai Center

The first Evergreen Challenge. Teams of young people spent two months in the Incubation Camp, then pitched at Demo Day at the HKUST Shanghai Center during Shanghai Climate Week, followed by the U20+ Summit and Awards Ceremony.

Dates: February–April 2026
Demo Day: 18–19 April
Venue: HKUST Shanghai Center
During: Shanghai Climate Week 2026

Demo Day, 18 April 2026, HKUST Shanghai Center

01Overview

Key dates

15 Feb
Registration closes
14 Mar
Workshop 1: Youth & Sustainable Development
28 Mar
Workshop 2: Core Skills Training
4 Apr
Workshop 3: Challenge Track Deep-Dives
10 Apr
Final submission deadline (23:59)
18 Apr
Demo Day: poster fair, pitches and defense
19 Apr
U20+ Summit & Awards Ceremony
Jun–Sep
Global Impact

Season 2026 by the numbers

As of April 2026

young participants: 86
mentors: 50+
schools: 16
online workshops: 9
teams: 20
views: 733K
regions and countries: 11
challenge tracks: 5
principal and founder mentors: 28
judges: 8

CNR is the only outlet that has published these figures. That report has 733,000 views.See the coverage

02Incubation Camp

Three sessions

Three Saturday afternoons, 15:00–17:00 Beijing time, livestreamed on Tencent Meeting. Each session held several workshops: sustainability and core skills, then ecological protection, green energy and healthy cities.

Session 01

Youth & Sustainable Development

Saturday 14 March 2026
15:00–17:00 (Beijing time)
Online · Tencent Meeting livestream

Schedule

15:00–15:10
Opening and camp launch
William Zhou
Founder, The Evergreen Action
15:10–15:40
Keynote
Changhua Wu吴昌华
President, Global Climate Academy; Co-chair, Sustainability Breakthroughs U20+
- Youth and sustainability
- China’s policy and global trends
- Technology frontiers and opportunities
15:40–16:00
Q&A and discussion
16:00–16:20
Talk
Wei Rao饶威
Deputy Secretary-General, Shanghai Climate Week; Executive Secretary-General, UNITAR PAS
- Shanghai Climate Week
- UNITAR Prosperity Alliance Shanghai
16:20–16:40
Talk
Ben Chen陈晓彬
Vice Chair, Asia-Pacific Young Entrepreneurs Forum; Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum
- A young environmentalist
- A Columbia graduate
- The path of a global young leader
16:40–17:00
Q&A and discussion

Session 02

Core Skills Training

Saturday 28 March 2026
15:00–17:00 (Beijing time)
Online · Tencent Meeting livestream

Schedule

15:00–15:40
Design Thinking & Youth Innovation
Zhang Ying张颖
Co-founder & CEO, IvyMaker; former President, Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Shanghai; founder of frog design Asia
15:40–16:00
Q&A and discussion
16:00–16:40
AI & Business Planning
Lan Shi石岚
Founder, 咖菲科技; Board Member, MIT Sloan
16:40–17:00
Q&A and discussion

Session 03

Challenge Track Deep-Dives

Saturday 4 April 2026
15:00–17:00 (Beijing time)
Online · Tencent Meeting livestream

Schedule

15:00–15:30
Ecological Protection
Zhou Jinfeng周晋峰
President, World Academy of Sustainable Development Sciences; Secretary-General, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation
15:30–16:00
Green Energy
Xing Ge邢戈
General Manager, Zero-Carbon Business Development, Envision Intelligence
16:00–16:30
Healthy Cities
Su Yunsheng苏运升
Executive Dean, Shanghai International College of Design & Innovation, Tongji University
16:30–17:00
Final-report Q&A

03Demo Day & U20+ Summit

Two days at Shanghai Climate Week

Demo Day and the U20+ Summit took place during Shanghai Climate Week 2026. Every Incubation Camp participant was an invited guest at the Summit, and teams unable to attend in person could pitch remotely.

Day 1

Final Showcase & Defense

Saturday 18 April · Afternoon

13:00–13:30
Check-in and set-up
Teams check in and put up their posters.
13:30–15:00
Poster fair and one-on-one judging
Run like a science fair. Teams present at their posters and visit each other’s work, while judges hold one-on-one conversations and score.
15:00–17:30
Pitches and defense
Every team pitched on stage: 10 minutes to present, then 5 minutes of questions from the judges.
17:30–18:30
Judges’ deliberation
The judges deliberate and consolidate scores.
18:30–20:30
U20+ Dinner

Day 2

U20+ Summit & Awards Ceremony

Sunday 19 April · Morning

09:30–12:00
U20+ Summit & Awards Ceremony
Results announced and awards presented, with forums and talks led by figures from education, climate, finance and civil society.

Organizers

Changhua WuPresident, Global Climate Academy; Senior Sustainability Advisor, UNITAR PAS
Lan ShiExecutive Secretary-General, China Education 30 Forum; Board Member, MIT Sloan School of Management
Wei RaoExecutive Secretary-General, UNITAR Prosperity Alliance Shanghai; Deputy Secretary-General, Shanghai Climate Week
Remoco ShiDeputy Secretary-General, Shanghai Climate Week; Secretary-General, Youth Committee; Founder & CEO, 蔚碳科技

Summit speakers

Yu LizhongFounding Chancellor, NYU Shanghai
Ni MinjingDirector, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum; Member, CPPCC National Committee
Yin HouqingPresident, Shanghai Education Society; former Deputy Director and Inspector, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission
Cheng DongStanding Committee Member, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Chair, Zhangjiang Science City Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Executive Vice President, Shanghai Zhangjiang Institute of Medical Innovation
Zou RongCo-Director, Executive Committee, Shanghai Climate Week
Qian WenxinParty Secretary & Deputy Director, HKUST Shanghai Industry–Education Integration Center
Li LeiFounder, 益社; Founding Partner, Shanghai One Earth Consulting; Standing Committee Member, All-China Youth Federation
Gu WeiPresident, 中研绿色金融研究院

Map

HKUST Shanghai Center, Shanghai

Open in Google Maps

Venue
Showcased at

04Judges

The judging panel

An international panel assessed every project on originality, impact, feasibility and presentation quality.

Yu Lizhong俞立中
Founding Chancellor, NYU Shanghai
Ni Minjing倪闽景
Director, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum; Member, CPPCC National Committee
Yin Houqing尹后庆
President, Shanghai Education Society; former Deputy Director and Inspector, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission
Cheng Dong程东
Standing Committee Member, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Chair, Zhangjiang Science City Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Executive Vice President, Shanghai Zhangjiang Institute of Medical Innovation
Zou Rong邹荣
Co-Director, Executive Committee, Shanghai Climate Week
Qian Wenxin钱文馨
Party Secretary & Deputy Director, HKUST Shanghai Industry–Education Integration Center
Li Lei李磊
Founder, 益社; Founding Partner, Shanghai One Earth Consulting; Standing Committee Member, All-China Youth Federation
Gu Wei顾蔚
President, 中研绿色金融研究院

05Results

Results and awards

Annual Leadership Award
Shanghai YK Pao School
An individual award in the high school division.
Gold Award
黑水虻
NACIS Shanghai
High school division.
Gold Award
算力追光者
Hangzhou Yungu School, high school
High school division.
Gold Award
闽江绿洲守望者
Fuzhou No.1 Middle School
High school division.
Gold Award
5×健康
Shanghai YK Pao School
High school division.
Gold Award
AutoSaline
Hangzhou Yungu School
Middle school division and below.
Silver Award
Digital Innovation Crew Kingdom
Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy
High school division.
Silver Award
Green Origin
Shanghai YK Pao School, Songjiang campus
High school division.
Silver Award
常青文华
Weifang Wenhua School
High school division.
Silver Award
碳索者
Hangzhou Yungu School
High school division.
Silver Award
北极河狸
Shanghai YK Pao School
High school division.
Silver Award
太湖人——护行
Taihu Center (Wujiang Taihu International School)
Middle school division and below.
Silver Award
Shanghai Green Sprouts沪上小青禾
Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School (Qingpu)
Middle school division and below.
Bronze Award
汉开生态小队
Shenzhen Hankai High School of Mathematics and Science
High school division.
Bronze Award
守护海岸线小组
Woodside Priory School, Shanghai YK Pao School, UWC Changshu, Hefei No. 8 High School
High school division. Cross-school team.
Bronze Award
夜明者小组
Hangzhou Yungu School, high school
High school division.
Bronze Award
Deep Ocean
Kai Feng Zhen Yuan School
High school division.
Bronze Award
Dodobirds
Hangzhou Yungu School and Shenzhen College of International Education
High school division. Cross-school team.
Bronze Award
山城光伏家
Chongqing Experimental Foreign Language School
High school division.
Bronze Award
食物循环2.0
Shanghai YK Pao School, middle school division
Middle school division and below.
Best Faculty Advisors
In no particular order: 蔡辉森 (Fuzhou No.1 Middle School), 叶景芳 (Fuzhou No.1 Middle School), 马杰 (Hangzhou Yungu School, high school), 朱银银 (Hangzhou Yungu School, high school), 何婷婷 (Hangzhou Yungu School, high school), 唐亮 (Hangzhou Yungu School, middle school), 于榕楠 Stephanie Yu (NACIS Shanghai), 曹照岚 (Taihu Center), 蔡洪 (Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy), 吴莹 (Shenzhen Hankai High School of Mathematics and Science), 祝世明 (Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School (Qingpu)), 石星星 (Kai Feng Zhen Yuan School), 王天祎 (Shanghai YK Pao School, middle school), 桑艳礼 (Weifang Wenhua School), 方皎 (Chongqing Experimental Foreign Language School), 郭曼娜 (Beijing Academy).
Best Organizing Institutions
In no particular order: Hangzhou Yungu School, Fuzhou No.1 Middle School, Weifang Wenhua School, NACIS Shanghai, Shanghai YK Pao School, Taihu Center (Wujiang Taihu International School), Shenzhen Hankai High School of Mathematics and Science, Kai Feng Zhen Yuan School.

06Participating schools

Schools and teams of Season 1

Team names are shown as the teams wrote them.

16 schools · 20 teams

Hangzhou Yungu School
Hangzhou, Zhejiang
- 算力追光者6
- 碳索者5
- 夜明者小组6
- Dodobirds5
- AutoSaline6
Shanghai YK Pao School
Shanghai
- 5×健康5
- Green Origin2
- 北极河狸2
- 守护海岸线小组4
- 食物循环2.01
NACIS Shanghai
Shanghai
- 黑水虻5
Fuzhou No.1 Middle School
Fuzhou, Fujian
- 闽江绿洲守望者5
Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy
Shanghai
- Digital Innovation Crew Kingdom6
Weifang Wenhua School
Weifang, Shandong
- 常青文华5
Shenzhen Hankai High School of Mathematics and Science
Shenzhen, Guangdong
- 汉开生态小队4
Woodside Priory School
California, USA
- 守护海岸线小组4
UWC Changshu
Changshu, Jiangsu
- 守护海岸线小组4
Hefei No. 8 High School
Hefei, Anhui
- 守护海岸线小组4
Kai Feng Zhen Yuan School
Kaifeng, Henan
- Deep Ocean4
Shenzhen College of International Education
Shenzhen, Guangdong
- Dodobirds5
Chongqing Experimental Foreign Language School
Chongqing
- 山城光伏家2
Beijing Academy
Beijing
- 绿居1
Taihu Center (Wujiang Taihu International School)
Suzhou, Jiangsu
- 太湖人——护行5
Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School (Qingpu)
Shanghai
- Shanghai Green Sprouts沪上小青禾6