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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07 September 2025
TSL 2026 Competition Launch – HOW TO CREATE A SUSTAINABILITY CULTURE – registration for Teacher Champions/Schools will open on the TSL Submittable page on 7th September
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01 March 2026
The final deadline for entries is midnight UTC – all entries must be submitted on the TSL Submittable page)
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01 May 2026
Announcement of International Competition 2026 Finalists & Honourable Mentions on the TSL website
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22 May 2026
Finalists & Honourable Mention certificates available on TSL Certificates Portal
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22 May 2026
The “Top 10” Finalists in the Primary and Secondary age categories will be notified via their Teacher Champions (using the Teacher Champion email addresses used to register for the Competition on the TSL Submittable page)
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End May 2026
Invitations for eligible students to participate in the International Student Debates will be sent to Teacher Champions, using their officially registered email addresses
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Early July 2026
International Student Debates – Primary & Secondary Schools – online