Eighteen middle and high school students have placed as winners in the 2017-2018 World of 7 Billion contest for their videos about the impacts of population growth on Advancing Women and Girls, Feeding 10 Billion, or Preventing Pollution. Check out their winning videos and learn more about the students on the winners page now!

In addition to educating viewers about their chosen topic and how it relates to human population growth, students had to include at least one idea for a sustainable solution. “These aren’t just great young filmmakers,” said John Seager, President of Population Connection. “All of the winners are inspirational voices for a sustainable and compassionate future.”

More than 5,100 students in grades 6-12 from 49 countries and 42 U.S. States and territories participated in this year’s competition that ran from September 2017 until the close of submissions in late February 2018. A panel of 61 judges—including college and high school educators, filmmakers, and topic experts—selected the finalists.

Winning Videos on Advancing Women and Girls

High School

• First place: Child Marriage: There is a Solution by Ramya Iyer (Omaha, NE)
• Second place: Women’s Education by Thalia Kennedy (Chicago, IL)
• Honorable Mention: Help Our Girls, Help Our World by Lily Forman (South Orange, NJ)
• Honorable Mention: Knowledge Strengthens the World by Shanuki Wickremasinghe (La Puente, CA)

Middle School

• First place: Hydration for Education by Louisa Fowler, Paulina Fenske, Chloe Osbourn, Masha Velinakov (Shorewood, WI)
• Second place: A Woman of Worth by Alexis Hu, Maggie Claussen, Alexa Baldauff, Mila Thelen (Shorewood, WI)

Winning Videos on Feeding 10 Billion

High School

• First place: Eating Up by Thinking Up by Arjun Agarwal ()
• Second place: Indoor Farming: The Future of Agriculture by Victor Elgersma (Brussles, Belgium)
• Honorable Mention: Food Waste by Timotej Cvirn, Amadej Pavšič, Benjamin Poljanc, Vid Kregar (Ljubljana, Slovakia)
• Honorable Mention: Crop Cultivation and Dirt Degradation by Vivian Dai (Ontario, Canada)

Middle School

• First place: Feeding 10 Billion People on Earth by Ayush Iyer (Lancaster, PA)
• Second place: What a Waste! by Kristine Ndubisi, Adriana Maratov, Jacqueline Balanovsky, Shazray Akbar, Matthew Stephen (Las Vegas, NV)

Winning Videos on Preventing Pollution

High School

• First place: Do-Able Renewable by Joshua Romer (Tulsa, OK)
• Second place: Protecting Our Planet from Pollution by Sherron Thomas (Irving, TX)
• Honorable Mention: Fighting Pollution: A Tangible Solution by Emily Hed (Chaska, MN)
• Honorable Mention: The Future of Automobiles by William Mester and Keith Nemecek (Royal Oak, MI)

Middle School

• First place: Making a Healthier and Cleaner World by Kelly Tung (Cupertino, CA)
• Second place: Preventing Pollution by Aurora Rodriguez (Dallas, TX)

Most students find out about the contest through their teachers, many of whom turn it into a graded assignment. “We select themes each year that not only address timely global issues, but also dovetail nicely with the content in many middle- and high-school social studies and science classes,” said Pam Wasserman, Senior Vice President for Education at Population Connection.

*Visit the World of 7 Billion website for more information on the contest.
*View the winning videos and read bios of the student filmmakers.
*Want to use the contest in you classroom or share with future students? Sign-up today and you’ll receive updates and information on the 2017-2018 contest as it becomes available.