Over the last few years, we’ve seen growth in student-led VC organisations and programs that support young entrepreneurs.
The Earth Prize was started by The Earth Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation based in Geneva, as a way to empower and educate young people to tackle environmental challenges. It is the world's largest environmental competition and ‘ideas incubator’ for 13-19-year-olds, empowering young people with mentorship and funding.
Since 2021, The Earth Prize has reached over 15,000 young people across 160 countries and territories, and awarded $500K to the top teams.
Two teenagers have been named as the European Winners of The Earth Prize 2025, developing 'PURA,' a groundbreaking water purification solution using light and plasma to combat pollutants and antibiotic resistance.
18-year-old Tomáš Čermák from Czechia (autism advocate and first ever high schooler to become a researcher at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences) and 19-year-old Anna Podmanická from Slovakia (prize-winning young scientist selected for University of Oxford summer programme) are harnessing the power of light and plasma in their solution.
Combining Anna’s research on water purification through photocatalysis and Tomáš’s work using cold plasma (AC corona) to destroy pollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, they created PURA.
While these methods have been studied separately before, their combined approach is pioneering - offering a new solution to tackle antibiotic resistance, which is projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050.
Wastewater from hospitals, farms, and industries often contains antibiotics and resistant bacteria, contributing to the spread of resistance. PURA’s two prototypes are already removing these residues on a small scale, making them suitable for household use and providing families with safer drinking water.
Now the team is working on a next-generation prototype capable of treating dozens of litres of water, bringing PURA closer to large-scale impact.
The long-term vision is to scale the easy-to-integrate technology for use in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), tackling resistance at its source. This energy-efficient, cost-effective solution could transform water purification and ensure a healthier future.
The team will now receive $12,500 to scale up their idea into a new prototype.
According to Tomáš Čermák from PURA
“This recognition and funding enables us to bring our research projects to life, with the creation of a small-scale device being just the beginning.
We’re now looking to expand our team, engage more students, and gain the support and capital needed to propel PURA into the future.”
Seven winning teams will be announced each day this week, representing the regions of North America, Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Public voting for the Global Winner opens Sunday, April 13, just after the final Regional Winner is announced. Cast your vote on The Earth Prize website until Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day):
Peter McGarry, Founder of The Earth Foundation, commented:
“I invite everyone to engage with these remarkable ideas, support their implementation, and be inspired to take action in their own communities. Together, we can turn these promising innovations into global environmental solutions.”
Lead image: PURA. Photo: uncredited.
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