Judging criteria
Our entries will be judged by an international panel of sustainability experts and educationalists, who will select the winning entries in each category.
The judges are looking for originality and creativity in all formats – and the potential to contribute to constructive national or international debate. Unique perspectives often score highly.
Our judges will be scoring entries on:
- Understanding of the topic
- Originality, innovation and creativity
- Inspirational power
- Communication and presentation of idea (effective use of chosen medium)
Each student’s age is taken into account when judging, so that younger students are not at a disadvantage when compared with older students.
Key dates
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10 September 2026 (midnight UTC)
TSL 2027 Competition Launch – NAVIGATING EL NIÑO – registration for Teacher Champions/Schools opens on the TSL Competition Platform
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1 March 2027 (midnight UTC)
Final deadline for all entries. Please note: All entries must be submitted on the TSL Competition Platform. No entries will be accepted via email.
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1 May 2027 (midnight UTC)
Announcement of Finalist & Honourable Mention winners on the TSL website
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1 May 2027 (midnight UTC)
Finalists & Honourable Mention certificates available on TSL Certificates Portal
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22 May 2027
The Top Award Winners in the Primary and Secondary age categories will be notified by email (via their Teacher Champions’ registered email addresses)
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End May 2027
Invitations to participate in the International Student Debates will be emailed to the top-two-performing primary and secondary students from each participating country. (The invitations will be sent to the registered Teacher Champion email addresses.)
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1 & 2 July 2027
International Student Debates, followed by International Student Awards – Primary Schools age group (July 1) & Secondary Schools age group (July 2)