The Trust for Sustainable Living (TSL), based in the United Kingdom, is pleased to announce the Grand Prize winner and runners-up in the TSL 2016 International Schools Essay Competition.

Overall Grand Prize Winner

J’Nae Peart (Immaculate Conception High School, Jamaica)

Secondary Schools Category (age 11-17)

1^st
J’Nae Peart (Immaculate Conception High School, Jamaica)

2^nd
Joshua Zhou (North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics, USA)

3^rd 
Abigail Mary Claire F. Ablang (Philippine Science High School Central Luzon, Philippines)

4^th
Hamnah Waqar (Al Diyafah High School, United Arab Emirates)

5^th
Shadhdha Das (Aravali International School, India)

Primary Schools Category (age 7-11)

1^st
Ella Nijkamp (JESS Jumeirah, United Arab Emirates)

2^nd
Ananya Mishra (DL DAV Model School, India) (joint winner)

2^nd
Jonathan-David Cordonier Gehring (King’s College School, United Kingdom) (joint winner)

3^rd
Joshua Killa (JESS Arabian Ranches, United Arab Emirates)

4^th
Yara Kharat (International College, Lebanon)

5^th
Grace Kent (Seoul Foreign School, South Korea)

Karl Hansen, Executive Director of the Trust for Sustainable Living, said:

“This year’s essay competition challenged students to think about the future of cities by asking, are sustainable cities possible?”

The Grand Prize Winner, J’Nae Peart from Immaculate Conception High School, Jamaica, wrote that sustainable cities “are necessary for our future” even if it won’t be easy to achieve them.

“Brick by brick we can build a global ecological utopia, an Earth 2.0. So, are sustainable cities possible? Yes they are, and they are on their way,” she wrote.

“J’Nae is an environmentally aware young lady who truly understands the concept of sustainability,” said Tanya Cope, Teacher Champion from Immaculate Conception High School, Jamaica. “Being a citizen of a small island developing state, she is concerned for the livelihood of her generation and that of her children. She is concerned as she believes that without sustainability her island may not survive the widespread impact of climate change.”

The overall Grand Prize winner, 1^st Prize Winners per category and 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th placed winners in each category received their trophies and medals at the International Schools Debate and Awards Ceremony in Dubai on the 18^th and 19^thApril 2016.

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For further information, please contact: schools@livingrainforest.org

Further details on the TSL International Schools Essay Competition and Debate, including programme and registration instructions, are available at trustforsustainableliving.org/take-part/international-schools-essay-competition-and-debate.