2024's winning projects

Our Igniting Innovation conservation challenge came back with a bang this year, with six brand-new, brilliant projects designed to boost the health of people and the planet.

In April 2024, the winning group of bright young conservationists aged 16–25 gathered in London to pitch their extraordinary ideas to help restore, protect and create healthy woods.

Our group of judges then decided how to share the prize pot of £20,000. Read on to get the inside scoop on the finalists' innovative ideas and the amount of funding awarded to each project.

Thanks to Pears Foundation and their #iwill fund partners, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the National Lottery Community Fund, who funded this project. 

Meet the winners

Discover the brilliant young minds behind the six winning projects of our Igniting Innovation challenge 2024.

Max Moorcroft

Awarded £6,000
Project: CitySprout is a card game all about appreciating urban plants. It will provide an accessible way for more people to feel a connection with, and learn about, the natural world despite having limited access to green spaces. By encouraging people to notice the natural beauty on their doorstep, Max wants the game to positively impact the wellbeing and mental health of those living in cities.

Freddie Emms, Raman Nijjar, Galatea Hoyle, Alana Wheat, Xander Wood and Tash Ballantyne

Awarded £4,000
Project: Generation Nature is a podcast which focuses on stories about nature for young people, by young people. This UK-wide team believes in the power of storytelling as a phenomenal tool for change, and hopes to use this platform to address the reservations young people may have about getting involved with nature. Through showcasing incredible stories, Generation Nature will share their passion and demonstrate that nature truly is for everyone.

Tammie Esslemont and Louise Moore

Awarded £3,000
Project: Nature Over Natter is a collective, artistic, social media movement. Their aim is to show everyone how to act for nature now. Working with artists and collaborating on projects, including those of other Igniting Innovation winners, they will inspire young people to take action and protect our planet. This project will connect young local artists with project managers in fun, creative ways to engage the public online. Tammie and Louise are using their backgrounds in digital marketing and psychology to help drive this project.

Ollie Heath and Charlie Deane

Awarded £3,000
Project: Woodpecker Workshops is an online educational storytelling platform dedicated to teaching children and young adults about nature photography, creative writing and journalism. Its aim is to nurture the next generation of conservationists. Marine and natural history photography graduate Ollie Heath and journalism and creative writing graduate Charlie Deane teach relevant techniques and theories in their field through recorded lessons and monthly challenges - all tied by a theme. At a time when engaging with natural spaces from a young age is most important, Woodpecker Workshops is a free platform to help children and young adults get outdoors, start learning and see the nature that surrounds them from a new perspective. 

Tara Dudhill

Awarded £2,000
Project: Wild Thing Poetry is an eco-poetry collective that connects young people with wild spaces and their creative voice. The pilot Wild Days programme will provide an immersive experience in nature, followed by a creative writing workshop that guides participants to create their own eco-poem. The poetry will be printed and bound into pamphlets for participants to keep and share with friends and family.

Cindy Pino

Awarded £2,000
Project: Epic Epiphytes aims to educate communities about the major role that epiphytes (such as mosses, liverworts and lichens) play within woodland ecosystems. Curious and cryptic, a hidden world lies within the leafy canopies. Through guided walks and creative workshops, the project aims to inspire a sense of stewardship towards fragile woodland networks.