2024 International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES)

Supported by Agricultural Bank of China, Beijing Environment Foundation for Young Talents and Xinhua News Agency, the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES) has been successfully held for 12 years by the United Nations Environment Programme and Tongji University since 2011, with nearly 10000 international students from more than 50 countries gathering at Tongji University on the World Environment Day. This annual conference has become a global event for future leaders and one of the most influential youths gathering on sustainable development, which provides a platform for young students worldwide to discuss major environmental issues and an interdisciplinary and multinational learning opportunity.

Since 2021, the ISCES has held the Global Environmental Solutions Challenge, students from all over the world are invited to form teams and participate in it, which seeks global solutions to environmental problems and sustainable development. Representatives from academia, business, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations will also be invited to share and discuss about latest global initiatives and local policies on sustainable development and cutting-edge industrial technology solutions.

The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10% is recycled. Every year, 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas and posing one of the most severe threats to the ecological environment. 2024 Global Environment Solutions Challenge will continue the theme of Solutions to Plastic Pollution, inviting teams of young students worldwide to participate and contribute to addressing the global challenge of plastic pollution.

1.       Topics

The challenge this yearoffers four topics, namely Human Health,Circular Economy, Climate Change, and Zero-Waste City. Participantscan choose the topic they are interested in and form a team to register for the challenge. Every team can only choose 1 topic with a maximum of 100 teams per topic. The challenge will follow the principle of “First-come, First-served”.

2.       Registration

There are two ways to get involved in this challenge.

1) Register as a participant. Participants can compete for final prizes and scholarships provided by the organizing committee. The challengeonly accepts registration as a team. The challenge is open to groups only so that participants are required to form their own teams.

2）Register as an observer. Observers have the right to vote for their favorite team,and apply to attend the event as spectators.

2.1.      Registration as a participant

Ÿ   Qualification:

-       This challenge is open to students of all ages or nationalities from all over the world. Students in colleges and universities (including vocational students, undergraduates and postgraduates) can all participate in the challenge.

Ÿ   Specific requirements:

-       Participants need to form their own teams, with each team including consisting of 2-4 members.

-       Participants should ensure that the registration information is accurate and valid. If the information of any participant in a team does not meet the requirements, the organizing committee has the right to cancel the registration and the reward of the whole team.

Ÿ   Specific registration method:

Team leaders register in the official registration system first, then the system automatically generates an invitation link, which the team leader needs to send it to the team members. Team members will then have to click the invitation link to complete the registration process within 3 days or the registration will be regarded as unsuccessful. The team leader can check the progress of team member registration on the personal page of the system.

2.2.      Registration as an observer

Ÿ   Qualification: Anyone interested in environmental issues can register as observer.

Ÿ   Time: After registering as an observer, log in to the registration system by June 2, 2024, to cast your vote for the most popular group.

2.3.      Registration deadline

Ÿ   For participants: 18:00, April 3, 2024 (UTC+8)

Ÿ   For observers: June 3, 2024 

2.4.      Registration website

Official registration system: https://isces.tongji.edu.cn/

Participants and observers need to register on this website.

3.       Award Setting

3.1.      There generates ONE Champion Team, TWO Second Prize teams and THREE Third Prize teams, which will be selected by the judging committee.

① The champion team will get 15000 RMB (before tax).

② The second prize team will get 9000 RMB (before tax).

③ The third prize team will get 6000 RMB (before tax).

The reward will be distributed directly to the team leader of the winning team,    and then distributed among team members themselves.

3.2.  The semi-finals and final will be held in early June 2024 in Shanghai. Shortlisted teams can apply for scholarships to subsidize transportation to and from Shanghai and accommodation in a double room designated by the committee (excluding meals, visa, insurance, and other expenses). The scholarship for teams in China is 3000 RMB (from home city of the participating team, second-class seats), and the scholarship for teams whose home universities are outside of China is 10000 RMB (from home city of the participating team, economy class).

Shortlisted teams from the first-round selection will be invited to participate offline at Tongji University. Teams who are unable to participate offline will be considered as forfeiting their participation.

3.3.  The challenge also generates ONE Most Popular Team award winning a scholarship of 6000RMB (before tax), according to online voting. ISCES website will open the voting page from April 29 to June 5 (UTC+8). The team with the highest number of votes will win this award. In order to ensure the fairness and justice and fairness of the challenge, the voting link on the official website will block all kinds of malicious vote-swiping software. We also call on the participants to follow the rules of the challenge and prevent illegal vote-swiping.

4.       Rules and Guidelines

4.1.      January 9, 2024, Registration opens.

4.2.      By April 3, 2024, Register in the system, confirm team, and submit solution.

4.3.      April 15, 2024, Shortlist for semi-finals announced, and the application for the transportation/accommodation scholarship starts. Voting for the Most Popular Award starts.

4.4.      June 1, 2024, All teams assemble in Shanghai.

4.5.      June 2, 2024, Semi-finals and final competition.

4.6.      June 3, 2024, Awarding Ceremony of 2024 Global Environment Solutions Challenge (GESC) and the 13th International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES).

5.       Submission Requirements

After the topic release, every team is required to record a presentation video (no longer than 7 minutes) regarding your discussion and solution. The contents of the presentation video include but are not limited to overall programme introduction, implementation path, feasibility analysis, potential to be translated into commercial entrepreneurship and innovation. The language for text and presentation is English. You can use an online meeting room to record your presentation, and other creative ways are also welcomed. The video should be horizontal, with a size no bigger than 100MB.

The semi-finals and final will be conducted through on-site presentations and on-site scoring.

6.       Marking Criteria

Each Topic will have three to four judges, composed of experts from various industries. The list of experts will be posted on the conference website in advance. The judges will mark the performance of each team by topic relevance, innovation, feasibility and replicability.

7.       Intellectual Property Rights

The content of the submitted presentation video must be original and should not have been published in any forms before, such as in newspapers, magazines, or on websites. Plagiarism in any form will result in disqualification. Relevant prizes and rewards will be recalled, and the team shall assume all legal responsibilities.

2024 Global Environment Solution Challenge Statement:

1.      To ensure a smooth and fair progress of the whole challenge, and to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of the participants, the participants should read and confirm the entry agreement on the official website and conscientiously abide by the provisions of the guideline.

2.      During the challenge, there may be some changes and adjustments, all content is subject to the official website of the challenge.

3.      The Committee of the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES) and Global Environment Solutions Challenge (GESC) reserves the right of final interpretation of this challenge.

SPECIAL NOTE: ISCES DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE. PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BEWARE OF FRAUD.

The launch of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) marks the beginning of a worldwide movement which seeks to improve opportunities and quality in environment and sustainable development. The international community requires education sectors to reorient their activities towards sustainable development and to play a leading role in championing change.

Against this background, Mr. Wang Guangtao, Chairman of the Advisory Board of IESD, former Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PRC and Director of the Resources Conservation Committee of the 11th NPC, proposed to provide the platform for discussion and exchange upon major environmental problems for youth talents from different countries, enhance youth’s ability to deal with practical problems, and finally contribute to sustainable development of human society. International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability(ISCES) is hosted by United Nations Environment Programme, Tongji University, Beijing Environment Foundation for Young Talents and Xinhua News Agency since 2011.

By the end of 2022, IESD has successfully held ISCES for ten years. Nearly three thousand international students from more than 50 countries gathered on the World Environment Day in Tongji, focusing on different themes of environment and sustainable development, which makes ISCES one of the most influential youth forum on environment and sustainability in the world. Discussions upon those themes greatly promoted information sharing of environmental and sustainable development, improve students' ability to analyze and solve problems, and aimed to nurture future global leaders.

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