Eighteen winners earned top spots in the 11th annual World of 7 Billion student video contest. More than 4,000 students in grades 6-12 from 48 countries and 45 U.S. states and territories participated in this year’s contest.
This year’s contest asked middle and high school students to submit a 60-second video about how population growth impacts one of the following global challenges: ocean health, urbanization, or agriculture and food. You can view this year’s winning entries, along with students’ photos and bios, on our contest website: worldof7billion.org.
The students were tasked with offering a solution in their videos, and the ideas ranged from eating insects as a new source of protein to installing modular green roofs in urban areas. The level of complexity and attention to detail that our winning videos were able to bring to their productions are a beacon of hope that our future world citizens have the thoughtfulness and understanding to tackle pressing global issues.
“Communicating a persuasive message in just one minute about one of the many challenges for our crowded world takes real skill. These winning students go a step further and offer inventive ideas for a sustainable future,” said John Seager, president of Population Connection.
Many science and social studies teachers have been incorporating the contest into their lesson plans for years. “Teachers appreciate that the project is so student driven. They choose the topic and let their curiosity guide their research and production,” said Pam Wasserman, Population Connection’s Senior Vice President for Education.
Congratulations to the 2021-2022 World of 7 Billion contest winners!
Agriculture & Food
View all winning videos on agriculture and food and read bios of the student filmmakers.
High School
1st Place
- “The Meat of the Future” by Abigail McDaniel, PA
2nd Place
- “Repurposing Weeds to Combat Desertification” by Ranye Ezenekwe, CO
Honorable Mention
- “Animal Agriculture in a Growing World” by Olivia Zheng, NY
- “The False Banana” by Alexandra Pilz and Eleonore Vecchioli, UK
Middle School
1st Place
- “Aquaponics: A Self-Sustainable Solution to the Rising Demand for Food and Water” by Benjamin Kurian, OH
2nd Place
- “The Future of Agriculture” by Sadhana Vijay, India
Ocean Health
View all winning videos on ocean health and read bios of the student filmmakers.
High School
1st Place
- “Overfishing: A Fishy Business and How to Combat It” by Fatma Raghani, Mauritania
2nd Place
- “Ghost Nets” by Kaviya Barathi Chidambaram and Nora Bruxvoort, CO
Honorable Mention
- “Bunting the Bottle” by Jeevan Janeev and Samuel Taylor, TX
- “Tiny Shrimp are a Big Problem: Solution for Mangrove Destruction” by Sophia Heilen, VA
Middle School
1st Place
- “Keep the Corals Colorful” by Alicia Ortiz, VA
2nd Place
- “A Poem About Overfishing – The Future of Our Fish” by Feben Tessema and Anna Yang, WA
Urbanization
View all winning videos on urbanization and read bios of the student filmmakers.
High School
1st Place
- “Greener Cities are Stronger Cities” by Nagasujan Ganesh Kumar, NC
2nd Place
- “Urbanization: Energy Efficient Housing” by Sasha Kobrina and Colette Siegel, France
Honorable Mention
- “Beat the Heat: Implementing Green Roofs” by Sabina Khizroev, FL
- “A Corridor to Global Health” by Carter Sutton, TX
Middle School
1st Place
- “Urban Sprawl: A Challenge” by Arnav Bali, MD
2nd Place
- “Solving Homelessness Person by Person” by Kayla Ling, CA