PHILIPPE COUSTEAU JR'S EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES THE UK'S FIRST THREE WINNING SCHOOL TEAMS IN ITS OURECHO CHALLENGE TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY

Teams from Rochdale, Reading and Rochester Win Award Funds to Help Them Protect Native Wildlife and Habitats

LONDON, May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthEcho International, the global nonprofit dedicated to building a youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet, today announced the first three UK school teams selected as the Grand Prize winners of its OurEcho Challenge.

The winning teams, from Rochdale, Reading and Rochester were part of an innovation competition designed to engage young problem solvers in protecting the diversity of species and ecosystems that make life on earth possible. The competition is made possible through the support of Aramco Europe. This is the first year the OurEcho Challenge was available to enter for UK students, Years 6-10. The competition has run for three years in the US.

"The 2023 OurEcho Challenge grand prize winners impressed our judges with their in-depth knowledge of local biodiversity issues and their vision in developing viable solutions tailored to their communities," said EarthEcho founder Philippe Cousteau, Jr. "We congratulate all of the finalist teams who participated in the Challenge, and we know their passion and dedication will inspire others to take action for a sustainable future for all."

The OurEcho Challenge supports three grand prize winners that were selected from five finalist teams competing for £5,000, £2,500, and £1,000 grants to further the work of their projects to protect and restore biodiversity in their communities.

The OurEcho Challenge UK winning teams are:

• £5,000 Grand Prize Winner - Team Falinge, Falinge Park High School, Rochdale, Lancashire
• £2,500 Grand Prize Winner - Team Bio Hazard, Reading School, Reading, Berkshire
• £1,000 Grand Prize Winner - Team TA SREWS, The Thomas Aveling School, Rochester, Kent

Team Falinge, Team Bio Hazard, and Team TA SREWS were selected after presenting their projects virtually to a panel of expert judges and with the public on May 25th during a Facebook live stream event. A panel of judges — including scientific experts from Aramco Europe and Ocean Alliance, an educator from Incredible Oceans, and youth advocates from EarthEcho and the Global South Focal Point — reviewed presentations from the five finalist teams and selected the three grand prize winners based on their projects' vision, scientific rigour, feasibility, and the teams' pitch.

The public also had the opportunity to vote for their favourite team projects during this year's People's Choice Awards, learning more about each project from their Finalist videos.

Follow EarthEcho on social media to learn about the People's Choice Award winner later this week.

The OurEcho Challenge equips US and UK students, guided by a teacher or mentor, to tackle the decline in biodiversity by identifying threats and proposing solutions to protect natural resources in their own communities.

For more information and updates about the OurEcho Challenge, visit www.OurEchoChallenge.org.

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For more information about EarthEcho International, visit www.earthecho.org.

For more information about program sponsor Aramco, visit Europe.aramco.com.

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