Western Cape Learners Who Go Big for Biodiversity Stand a Chance to Win!

Photo Credit: Canva

If you’re a learner (or teacher) in Grade 6, 7, 8, or 9 anywhere in the Western Cape, thinking BIG for biodiversity stands you a chance to win exciting prizes!

Western Cape, South Africa (26 May 2026) – The Big Biodiversity Challenge has touched down, inviting young people across the Western Cape to tackle how we protect the wonderful natural world around us.

This year’s theme, ‘Acting Locally for Global Impact,’ encourages that what we do to make a positive difference in our own schools and neighbourhoods matters for the whole planet!

It “underscores how small, community-driven actions can drive meaningful global change and calls on all stakeholders to contribute to local initiatives that support a healthy, sustainable environment where people and nature can thrive together.” says Khuthala Swanepoel, Chair of the Western Cape Environmental Education Friends and Deputy Director for Sustainable Awareness, Education and Empowerment at the Western Cape Government.

To lock in an entry into the competition, learners from grades 6 to 9 must submit innovative, action-based projects that tackle real threats facing biodiversity – like climate change, habitat loss, and the unsustainable use of natural resources.

There is a fun, action-packed catch, too! Instead of just coming up with a concept on paper, entrants are encouraged to put their ideas into practice in response to a real biodiversity challenge in their world. This could be through a scientific investigation, a creative arts piece, or even a community initiative.

Entries can be submitted individually or as a group, and the competition is open to all schools across the Western Cape!

Last year’s Big Biodiversity Challenge participants attended the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) Conference in Cape Town. Photo Credit: CapeNature

There are some amazing prizes in the mix this year. Experiences up for grabs include a CapeNature educational outing to Stony Point, a Table Mountain National Park environmental education experience at Boulders Beach and Cape Point (with a cable car ride!), a class visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium with a dedicated educational lesson, an outreach environmental education visit, and much more.

The Big Biodiversity Challenge is launched every year during Biodiversity Month in May, and timed to the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May.

The competition is run by the Western Cape Environmental Education Friends together with partners including CapeNature, the Western Cape Government, SANBI, SANParks, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, Working on Fire, Nature Connect, the City of Cape Town, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

This is a fun and exciting chance for learners to think out of the box and get creative in coming up with nature-based solutions that protect our environment. Teachers are warmly encouraged to inspire their students to enter and become part of the movement. Find out more here or see info below!