5 August 2025, Singapore – The Sustainability Youth Festival (TSYF), marked a significant milestone in Singapore’s youth-led sustainability  movement. Held on 1 August 2025 at Capitol Theatre and Capitol Outdoor Plaza, this first-of-its-kind festival was created to deepen youths’ understanding of sustainability, nurture emerging leaders, and accelerate positive sustainable development.

Themed “The Sustainability Puzzle – Every Piece Matters,” TSYF encouraged attendees to see sustainability as a collective effort, where every action—big or small—contributes to shaping a greener, more inclusive future. Throughout TSYF, over 1000 people from diverse backgrounds including youths, educators, businesses, and members of the public registered to be a part of the festival. Participants took part in an exciting line-up of interactive exhibitions, hands-on workshops, online learning platforms, and collaborative dialogues, highlighting how young people can shape a more sustainable future in diverse and impactful ways.

A ground-up initiative by EB Impact, a Singapore-registered charity, in collaboration with the Inter-University Environmental Coalition (IUEC), the festival benefits from deep expertise in youth engagement and education. Supported by vital funding from SG Eco Fund, the initiative was further strengthened through the partnership of OCBC as Strategic Partner, Meta as Challenge Partner, City Developments Limited as Youth Innovation Partner, and Eco-Business as a Corporate Patron – each bringing vital support to young changemakers. Together, these organisations offered tangible opportunities to uplift the aspirations of young changemakers in Singapore.

In the spirit of education and inclusivity, EB Impact and edm8ker had also launched the Youth Sustainability Action (YSA) 2025 as part of TSYF. Designed for those unable to attend the Festival in person, the interactive online platform offers bite-sized sustainability modules and exclusive masterclasses – making it easier for all students and youth to engage with climate education anytime, anywhere.

“TSYF 2025 is a powerful example of what young people can achieve when they are given the right platform and support. Through their creativity, passion, and commitment, we’re seeing ideas that could truly shape a more sustainable future. EB Impact is proud to champion the next generation of sustainability leaders and foster meaningful cross-sector collaboration that drives lasting impact,” said Gerald Wong, Executive Director of EB Impact.

Spotlighting youth achievements

At the heart of the festival was the TSYF Challenge, a nationwide sustainability competition for youths under the age of 35. Finalist teams pitched their ideas live on stage to a panel of industry judges and a public audience, competing for a prize pool of up to S$20,000 to help scale their solutions. 

The competition featured two tracks, with winning teams in each category recognised for their innovation, creativity, and commitment to sustainability:

Sustainability Youth Changemaker – for Primary and Secondary school teams focusing on behaviour change and awareness campaigns.

• Top 3 Winners (Champion: S$4,000 | 1st Runner-Up: S$3,500 | 2nd Runner-Up: S$2,500):
  
  • Champion: Youth for Earth - CHIJ Secondary 
  • 1st Runner-Up: Nanyarns – Nanyang Girls’ High School
  • 2nd Runner-Up: CRO – Farm to Table – Crest Secondary School

Sustainability Youth Innovator Category – for entrepreneurial solutions from Primary and Secondary school teams, and  teams from Junior College, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Polytechnic, University students and young professionals.

• Junior Division Winners (Champion: S$7,000 | Runner-Up: S$3,000):
  
  • Champion: Hydropod – School of Science and Technology
  • Runner-Up: Oh My Batik! – Crest Secondary School

• Senior Division Winners (Champion: S$15,000 | 1st Runner-Up: S$10,000 |2nd Runner-Up: S$5,000):
  
  • Champion: SusFeed
  • 1st Runner-Up: Crafting a Sustainable Future – Team Bodacious
  • 2nd Runner-Up: BioBreathe Cooling Paint – SustainabiliTeam

Youth teams addressed themes including climate action and decarbonisation, circular economy and waste reduction, and community resilience through social innovation. With 25 registrations across Singapore, the TSYF Challenge demonstrated the depth and diversity of youth-led sustainability innovation.

“Through our #OCBCCares Environment Fund, we are glad to continue our support for this event. Over the years, we have seen many youths take the first step in showcasing their unique sustainability solutions. For me, the best part of this competition is how it enables the younger generation to have their voices heard through creative and actionable solutions with real-world impact. I hope that their passion to do good for the environment will continue to grow, inspiring others and driving meaningful change for a sustainable future,” said Ms Ng Lay San, Managing Director of Group Sustainability, OCBC.

Empowering the next generation 

The festival’s programming was purposefully designed to spark critical thinking, encourage collaboration, and open up real-world pathways for youth to drive impact. One of the festival highlights was the Youth Conference, which explored sustainability through the lens of People, Planet, and Profit. Expert speakers from across academia, government, and industry came together to share diverse perspectives on climate action, responsible business, and the structural shifts needed to build a more inclusive and resilient future. 

In the Youth Spotlight segment, university student groups showcased unique ways they are contributing to sustainable development through "Tedx"-like talks followed by an interactive quiz to spotlight their efforts and test the audience's knowledge. Through this, young voices are empowered to lead the change towards a more sustainable future.

To help students explore how they can turn their passion into purpose-driven careers, TSYF Careers Speed Dating session offered a high-energy networking experience with sustainability professionals across diverse green sectors, giving participants valuable insights into industry roles and future pathways.

“Partnering with EB Impact to co-create TSYF has been a deeply empowering journey for our student network. It’s shown us that youth can do more than participate, we can lead. Through the festival, we’ve been able to provide our member groups with the platform to amplify their sustainability efforts, bringing the community together to unpack the environmental issues through accessible ways.” said Koe Chua and Andres Neo, Co-Chairs of The Sustainability Youth Festival, Inter-University Environmental Coalition.

TSYF will remain a key platform for empowering youth to lead with purpose, drive innovation, and build lasting impact. EB Impact, together with its partners, look forward to growing the festival in the years to come – deepening community engagement, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and equipping even more young changemakers with the tools to shape a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.

For more information on The Sustainability Youth Festival and TSYF Challenge, please visit https://tsyf.sg or follow us on Instagram.

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About EB Impact

EB Impact is a Singapore-registered charity established in 2019, dedicated to advancing sustainable development by delivering youth and education programmes in Singapore and the wider Asia region. It is our firm belief that by empowering individuals and communities with the right knowledge and opportunities, we can create a better society.

About OCBC ‍

OCBC is the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932 from the merger of three local banks, the oldest of which was founded in 1912. It is now the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world’s most highly rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody’s.

Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore and the Asia Pacific by The Asian Banker.

OCBC and its subsidiaries offer a broad array of commercial banking, specialist financial and wealth management services, ranging from consumer, corporate, investment, private and transaction banking to treasury, insurance, asset management and stockbroking services.

OCBC’s key markets are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China. It has over 610 branches and representative offices in 18 countries and regions. These include the more than 330 branches and offices in Indonesia under subsidiary Bank OCBC NISP, and 100 branches and offices in Hong Kong, China and Macau under OCBC Wing Hang. 

OCBC’s private banking services are provided by its wholly-owned subsidiary Bank of Singapore, which operates on a unique open-architecture product platform to source for the best-in-class products to meet its clients’ goals.

OCBC’s insurance subsidiary, Great Eastern Holdings, is the oldest and most established life insurance group in Singapore and Malaysia. Its asset management subsidiary, Lion Global Investors, is one of the largest private sector asset management companies in Southeast Asia. ‍

About Meta

Founded in 2004, Meta’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Meta is now moving beyond 2D screens, exploring immersive experiences, like augmented, virtual and mixed reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.   

About City Developments Limited

City Developments Limited (CDL) is a leading global real estate company with a network spanning 163 locations in 29 countries and regions. CDL’s aim is to be recognised by customers, employees, and peers as an innovative creator of quality and sustainable spaces. CDL values innovation, collaboration, and integrity.

About Eco-Business 

Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacific’s leading media organisation on sustainable development. Its independent journalism unit publishes high quality, trusted news and views that advance dialogue and enables measurable impact on a wide range of sustainable development and responsible business issues. Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Manila, Beijing and correspondents across major cities in Asia Pacific. Visit www.eco-business.com

About SG Eco Fund

The SG Eco Fund was launched in November 2020 by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. The Fund supports ground-up projects that involve the community and advance environmental sustainability in Singapore.

Media contact

Genevieve Leong

genevieve@vero-asean.com

Account Manager, Vero