What happens when young people are encouraged to look at everyday waste differently? Through the YCD Green Innovation Challenge, students across Cameroon were invited to turn recyclable materials into useful products, explore creative solutions and take small steps towards a more sustainable environment.
Waste is part of everyday life. Plastic bottles, cardboard, old clothes and other materials are often thrown away without much thought. But what if some of these materials could be given a second life?
This was the idea behind the YCD Green Innovation Challenge, an initiative organised by Youth & Contemporary Development (YCD Cameroon) to encourage young people to rethink waste and explore creative ways of reusing recyclable materials.
Rather than only talking about the importance of protecting the environment, the challenge invited students to put their creativity into action and demonstrate how materials often considered waste could become something useful.
About the Green Innovation Challenge
The Green Innovation Challenge was organised during the 2026 long school holiday and targeted students aged 12 to 19 across Cameroon.
Participants were challenged to collect everyday recyclable waste and transform it into a useful, functional product that could benefit their communities or the environment.
They were required to submit a short video of between one and three minutes, showing their creation and explaining what they had made.
The challenge also encouraged participants to work individually or in teams of up to three. To qualify, their final products had to be made using at least 80% recycled materials.
From useful household items to creative solutions for everyday needs, the idea was to encourage students to look beyond the usual uses of discarded materials and discover what they could create with them.
Bringing young people's ideas to life
The challenge ran from 20 July to 31 August 2026, following a two-week extension to give participants more time to complete and submit their entries.
The response showed that young people were interested in the opportunity. YCD received registrations from 43 teams, representing more than 50 people across five regions of Cameroon: Centre, West, South, South-West and North-West.
Of these, 10 teams submitted entries for the competition.
The submitted entries were evaluated by seven judges, who helped assess the creations and determine the winners.
First Place
Second Place
Third place
More than creating products: What participants learned
The Green Innovation Challenge was not only about producing an item from recycled materials. It was also an opportunity for students to learn, experiment and develop new skills.
Feedback from participants showed that they appreciated the opportunity to explore new ways of reusing materials, create handmade products and learn more about caring for the environment through small, practical actions.
Some also gained experience in areas such as video editing while preparing their submissions.
The experience was not without its difficulties. Participants mentioned challenges with editing their videos and requested clearer instructions about what was expected of them.
These experiences provided useful lessons for YCD as well. They highlighted the importance of clear guidelines, accessible submission processes and adequate support when organising activities that encourage young people to participate.
Celebrating the young innovators
After the submissions were evaluated, YCD announced the winners of the Green Innovation Challenge.
The winning participants were recognised for their creativity and efforts in turning recyclable materials into useful products.
The winners were:
-
First Place: Abada Rudin Nghonyuibe — 20,000 FCFA.
-
Second Place: Elly Angena Nalowa Kinge and Henthel-Dreda Eyole — 15,000 FCFA.
-
Third Place: Mveng Sindja Aubin, Nouetsa Kuissu Dirane Oniel and Chimalang Terrafirma Fehnwi Mandzong — 10,000 FCFA.
Certificates of Participation were also part of the recognition provided to participants.
Prize Award
Following the announcement of the results, YCD followed up with a prize presentation to the winning participants.
On Wednesday, 21 October 2026, YCD's Green Innovation Challenge coordinator, Rosalie Komguem Tatchum, visited Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Obala to present the first-place prize to Abada Rudin Nghonyuibe.
The prize was presented in the winner's classroom, in the presence of his classmates and teacher.
For Abada, the recognition came as a pleasant surprise. He was very happy to receive the first prize.
The moment also meant something to the other students in the classroom. Rosalie was particularly struck by their excitement as they watched their classmate receive his prize.
She felt that presenting the prize in front of his classmates was a meaningful way to encourage other students to participate in similar activities. They could see someone like themselves being recognised for an idea and effort they had put forward.
Beyond recognising the winner, the moment offered his classmates an opportunity to see what young people can achieve when they are given a platform to express their creativity. The other winners of the challenge also received their prizes successfully.
Encouraging creativity and environmental action
The Green Innovation Challenge brought together two areas that are important to YCD's work: youth empowerment and environmental sustainability.
For young people, it provided a platform to express their ideas, demonstrate their creativity and explore how their skills could be used to address everyday problems.
For environmental sustainability, it encouraged participants to rethink how they view waste. Materials that might otherwise be discarded can sometimes be reused to create useful products, reduce waste and encourage more responsible consumption.
The challenge also showed that environmental awareness does not always have to begin with large projects or expensive resources. Young people can start by observing problems around them, thinking of possible solutions and taking practical steps with what they have available.
There is also room to improve. The experience has shown YCD the importance of better preparation, clearer communication and stronger partnerships to support future editions and create more opportunities for participation.
Keep creating, keep finding solutions
The YCD Green Innovation Challenge was an opportunity for young people to explore their creativity, learn new things and engage with environmental sustainability in a practical way.
We appreciate every student who registered, participated, shared an idea or supported the initiative. We also thank the judges, volunteers and everyone who contributed to making the challenge possible.
At YCD, we believe young people have the creativity and potential to contribute to solutions for the challenges in their communities. Creating opportunities for them to explore ideas, apply their skills and take action is an important part of building that potential.