Nearly 4,000 ideas from the youth for blue skies

the afternoon of September 7, as part of the closing ceremony of the program “Youth in Action for Clean Air and a Sustainable Future,” the organizers honored outstanding entries and initiatives from the “Youth Innovation - Action for Clean Air” contest and the “I Tell the Story of Air” creative challenge.

Young generation joins hands to address clean air challenges

According to the organizers, the “I Tell the Story of Air” creative challenge, open to students aged 6 to 18, received 3,928 entries, of which 2,976 were eligible. Students from 31 provinces and cities took part in the challenge.

Hanoi led the number of submissions with 885 entries, followed by Thai Nguyen with 568, Dong Nai with 513, Phu Tho with 380, and Lao Cai with 372. Notably, the program engaged 314 children from vulnerable groups, including 306 ethnic minority students, as well as children with intellectual, physical and visual disabilities.

The diversity also showed up in how students told their stories about air. Some chose drawings and posters, while others produced videos, wrote personal reflections, designed flipbooks or used artificial intelligence tools to create digital graphics.

Through these creative works, an issue that may seem abstract became familiar: the sky above their schools, smoke after harvests, city parks, the air along their way to school, or the “invisible” threats that affect their breathing.

According to the program’s final results, Nguyen Phuong Nghi of Tan Yen 2 Primary School won First Prize in the individual category for her entry “Let the Air Smile.” Two Second Prizes were awarded to Nguyen Ha Duong of Vinh Hung Primary School for “A Blue Sky Starts with Small Things” and Pham Anh Binh of Long My Secondary School for the video “A Smoke-Free Harvest.” The entries “Tomorrow’s Breath,” “Bringing the ‘Invisible’ to Light,” and “Green Breath from HCM Park” received Third Prizes. Bui Ngoc Bao Han of Thong Nhat Secondary School received the Impact Award for her flipbook “Air Tells a Story.”

In the group category, Nguyen Du Secondary School in Thai Nguyen Province won the First Prize with more than 300 entries. Bac Cuong No. 1 Primary School in Lao Cai Province received the Second Prize with more than 200 entries, while Thinh Liet Primary School in Hanoi won the Third Prize with more than 90 entries.

Behind the awards is a significant community reach. More than 11,600 members have joined the online community, which has recorded over 715,000 views, interactions and reactions, showing that the conversation about air has extended beyond the scope of a student competition.

Another notable aspect of the program is its integration of environmental education with digital skills education. The training session “Applying AI to Create Content about Air Quality and the Environment” attracted more than 500 students and teachers, helping participants explore new tools to express their ideas and spread environmental messages.

Bringing students’ knowledge to environmental challenges

While the “I Tell the Story of Air” challenge began with students’ observations and experiences, the “Youth Innovation - Action for Clean Air” competition encouraged university students to apply their academic knowledge to solve real-world problems.

The organizers received 103 entries, of which 96 teams met all eligibility requirements, representing around 70 universities. A total of 376 students participated in eligible teams, including 216 female students, accounting for nearly 60%. Among the participants were 37 ethnic minority students and one student with an intellectual disability.

The six outstanding finalist teams were uBreath, Blue Sky, SPEI, Dust Guardians, Green Tab and Carbon Zero Warriors. At the final round, the teams presented and defended their initiatives before a panel of experts, focusing on solutions to issues related to air pollution, the environment and climate change.

According to the organizers, the ideas demonstrated diversity, creativity and the proactive spirit of students in seeking practical solutions to environmental challenges.

The highlight lies not only in the final results but also in the process through which young people turn an environmental issue into a problem to be solved. Starting from an initial idea, the teams had to identify the problem, explore possible solutions, develop their products, present and defend them before experts, and continue refining their initiatives.

This process helps young people develop the ability to turn thoughts into action and ideas into practical value. They not only learn to innovate but also to embrace feedback, collaborate, take responsibility for their ideas and persist in pursuing the issues they seek to address.

Teams from diverse academic backgrounds brought together knowledge in environmental science, information technology, artificial intelligence, data, communications, agriculture and management to seek solutions to clean-air challenges. In doing so, technology was no longer viewed as an end in itself, but as a tool for addressing issues affecting people, communities and the environment.

Vu Minh Viet, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Viet Nam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper, expressed his hope that students’ ideas and initiatives would not end with the competition, but continue to reach wider audiences through the media and digital platforms and be translated into concrete actions in everyday life.

According to Vu Minh Viet, as Viet Nam pursues ambitious growth targets, economic development must go hand in hand with environmental protection, improved quality of life and sustainability. Therefore, every student can become a positive force for change, spreading the message of green living to their families, schools and communities. Small actions, when carried out consistently and replicated on a wider scale, can contribute to meaningful change.

The leadership of the Viet Nam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper said the newspaper has been assigned to organize the “ASEAN Eco-School” program, which is expected to be launched in late September or early October 2026. The program will continue to provide a platform for students to unleash their creativity, propose initiatives and join hands in building a greener environment, cleaner air and a sustainable future.

Honoring the top ideas at the “Youth Innovation - Action for Clean Air” Competition

The First Prize went to the uBreath team for its “Smart Campus Air Shield” project, which develops an air quality monitoring system for school campuses using a network of IoT sensors combined with AI.

The Second Prize was awarded to the SPEI team for its project “Developing an AI-Powered Software for Maritime Port Emissions Inventory,” which aims to automate emissions quantification and provide data to help port operators develop emissions reduction roadmaps.

The Third Prize went to the Blue Sky team for its “Viet Nam AirGuard” application, which uses AI to forecast air quality over the following nine days at a 1-square-kilometer grid resolution.

Three teams received Consolation Prizes: Dust Guardians for its “DustGuard VN” platform, which connects community reports with construction data and legal criteria; Green Tab for “The Story of Straw: A Journey of Regeneration,” which promotes a smoke-free rural model; and Carbon Zero Warriors for its proposal, “A Model for Reducing Odors and Toxic Gases in Poultry Farming Using Natural Herbal Preparations.”