Wichtiger Hinweis
Call for Entries for the Environmental Award
Stand: 15.07.2026
Once again this year, the award recognizes the “young generation” for its responsible and forward-looking contributions to shaping our living environment. Applications were accepted through June 30, 2026.
The City of Erlangen, in collaboration with Erlanger Stadtwerke, is once again offering the Erlangen Environmental Award for young people. The award addresses the following questions: How can young people help shape our city and our world today? And how do we want to live in the future? Local and global challenges can only be solved together—and to ensure a livable future, we must act now. The best ideas are being sought until June 30.
Erlanger Stadtwerke is sponsoring a total of 5,000 euros for the Environmental Award, with individual prizes ranging from 200 to 2,500 euros. The competition is open to children, teenagers, and young adults from Erlangen. Participants may enter individually or, of course, as a team.
The Environmental Award aims to encourage engagement with the environment, an appreciation for nature, and an understanding of ecological interconnections. It helps develop initiative and creative problem-solving skills, while the community benefits from the innovation and creativity of young people. In this way, societal challenges can be addressed through active participation.
Join the competition for the Erlangen Environmental Prize and submit your own project for a sustainable city! Attractive cash prizes await you! The submission deadline was June 30, 2026.
FAQs - Questions and Answers
The competition is open to children, teenagers, young adults, apprentices, and students who live in Erlangen, are not yet fully employed, and are no older than 30. Individuals, as well as groups, initiatives, clubs, and school classes, are eligible to participate. For group or class projects, the organization must be based within the city limits of Erlangen. Support from adults is permitted. All projects that took place between July 2025 and June 2026 are eligible to participate.
We are looking for your creative ideas for the future on topics such as sustainability, environmental, nature, and climate protection, threatened biodiversity, critical consumption, and the energy and mobility transition. We welcome submissions that offer different perspectives.
Please submit your application by June 30, 2026 (deadline for 2026), along with a project description. You may supplement this with, for example, a photo documentation. Physical objects and digital works may also be submitted.
Please send your competition entries by email to umweltbildung@stadt.erlangen.de, by mail to the Office for Environmental Protection and Energy Issues, Environmental Education, Schuhstraße 40, 91052 Erlangen; in-person drop-off appointments are also available (Room 009). You can also get answers to any questions about the Erlangen Environmental Award by email or by calling 09131 86-2934.
The project contributes to sustainable development and a future-ready Erlangen.
Knowledge, Insight & Understanding: You combine information and connections from various fields and think reflectively, empathetically, and with foresight
Skills & Action: You act independently and cooperatively and participate self-effectively in social processes
Evaluation & Values: You develop a mindset, understand the impact of your actions on the world, and take responsibility
The projects are evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Understanding and presenting complex environmental issues
- Ingenuity, imagination, and creativity
- Clarity
- Action-Orientation
- Impact on environmental awareness
- Relevance to one’s own life (and surroundings)
- Role model
- Sustainability of the project
- Innovative potential
- Contribution to sustainable urban development/the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Connection to the Erlangen area
The best projects will be recognized. The environmental award, with a total value of 5,000 euros, is divided into individual prizes ranging from 200 to 2,500 euros.
We thank Erlanger Stadtwerke for sponsoring the Environmental Award.
The evaluations will be conducted by a jury consisting of representatives from city leadership, the municipal utilities, the Environmental Office, youth organizations, the FAU, schools, and the Erlanger Nachrichten. The jury’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Winners will be notified shortly after the submission deadline and invited to the awards ceremony.
Here are the winners of last year's projects:
Winners of the Erlangen Environmental Award
The city of Erlangen and Erlanger Stadtwerke (ESTW) have awarded the joint environmental prize for the 17th time.
Winners of the Erlangen Environmental Award
The city of Erlangen and Erlanger Stadtwerke (ESTW) have awarded the joint environmental prize for the 17th time.