Since launching in 2021, more than 1,200 educators from schools and youth organizations across 103 countries have engaged with the Ciena Solutions Challenge, a global design challenge by Digital Promise and Ciena that invites middle and high school students globally to use Challenge Based Learning to design solutions that address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals within their communities. Discover how the Ciena Solutions Challenge has unfolded around the world over the past five years in this interactive StoryMap.
Today, we are thrilled to celebrate the 2026 Ciena Solutions Challenge Sustainability Award recipients, representing 62 teams from 23 countries, including 20 teams that will receive a $3,000 Sustainability Award, and 42 additional teams that will receive $750 to sustain and scale their projects.
Congratulations to all the student teams who participated in the 2025-26 Ciena Solutions Challenge, including the student teams below from Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States.
Get inspired by their work and join the next round of the Ciena Solutions Challenge starting in September 2026.
Vinéa-From Vineyard Heritage to Circular Bioenergy Innovation
Site: Osnovna škola fra Didaka Buntića Čitluk (Čitluk, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Educator/Mentor: Božana Bevanda
Essential Question: How can vineyard waste drive circular energy innovation while also sustaining local development and creating eco-friendly products that promote entrepreneurship?
Restoring the Treasures of the Amazon through Sustainable Phytoremediation: From Urban Restoration to Space Sustainability through International Partnership
Site: Colegio Militar de Manaus (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil)
Educator: Henrique Lima
Essential Question: Can Pistia stratiotes reduce the pollution levels in Manaus Igarapés?
Coffee Revolution: From the Grounds Comes the Color of Change
Site: Institucion Educativa Municipal Montessori sede San Francisco (Pitailto, Huila, Colombia)
Educator: Ramón Majé Floriano
Essential Question: How can we reduce the methane emissions generated by coffee grounds by transforming them into something useful?
Voice Against Oral Cancer
Site: Santamayee Girls High School (Purulia, West Bengal, India)
Educator: Susmita Roy Chowdhury
Essential Question: How can an AI and computer vision based screening tool help early oral cancer detection in communities with limited medical infrastructure?
Lake Water Risk
Site: Sri Sharada Public School, Annigeri (Annigeri, Karnataka, India)
Educator: Rukhasana Banu Kaladgi
Essential Question: Do all have access for safe drinking water?
Green Energy & Hydrogen Innovations: Powering a 1.5°C Future, PolluScan-Guardians of the Soil & Water, Learn Ease: Smart AI Pen–Empowering Every Learner
Site: Vikas Bharati Public School (Delhi, Delhi NCR, India)
Educator: Anni Kumar
Essential Questions:
Smart Emergency Breather
Site: Gandhi High Vidyalaya (Purulia, West Bengal, India)
Educator: Sajal Ghosh
Essential Question: How can frugal technology ensure life saving breathing support anytime, anywhere during emergencies?
Bio-Lectra, AeroSun Dynamics
Site: Kamla Nehru Public School (Phagwara, Punjab, India)
Educator: Tanu Monga
Essential Questions:
FLOWSAFE—Flood Water-Triggered Safety System for Electricity
Site: SMKN 1 Paringin Vocational High School (Paringin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia)
Educator: Izuddin Syarif
Essential Question: How can flood-level monitoring protect home electrical systems and send automatic notifications?
RUNA
Site: Harmony Steam School (Astana, Kazakhstan)
Educator: Aigul Sibagatova
Essential Question: How can technology enable blind people to move safely and independently in urban environments without relying on constant human assistance?
SuGuard
Site: Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Science and Mathematics (Uralsk, Kazakhstan)
Educator: Danagul Zhandauletovna
Essential Question: How can affordable smart devices make diabetes monitoring accessible to everyone?
Jaqyn
Site: Nazarbayev Intellectual School (Astana, Kazakhstan)
Educator: Bauyrzhan Ashyrali
Essential Question: How can we design HealthTech and urban spaces that enable neurodiverse children to navigate cities safely, independently, and confidently?
Made-In-Aba Solar Lantern
Site: Sparkwise Initiative/Springfield International Academy (Aba, Abia State, Nigeria)
Educator: Ebenezer Anyadiegwu
Essential Question: How can we turn plastic and electronic waste into affordable solar light solutions for energy-poor rural students sustainably?
Students Rise Pads Peers And Progress Phase ll
Site: Garkuwa Youth Initiative For Development (Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria)
Educator: Adam Ibrahim
Essential Question: How do we scale reusable pads so Yobe girls never miss school from menstruation?
Mision ODS
Site: Rincón Clubhouse La Chorrera (La Chorrera, Panamá Oeste Province, Panama)
Educator: Vianca Cuevas
Essential Question: How can we transform the SDGs into measurable local action from our school?
Philippines
HEAL (Hydration, Energy, Agriculture, Learning): A Self-Healing School Ecosystem and GandhiTalks: Social Emotional Learning for the Generation Z
Site: South Hill School, Inc. (Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines)
Educator: Amando Molin
Essential Questions:
Formosa 2: AI, Solar-Powered, Trash-Cleaning Robot
Site: Mingdao High School International Department (Taichung, Taiwan)
Educator: Rony Anthony
Essential Question: How can technology and artificial intelligence be integrated into daily life to help create cleaner, more sustainable cities?
CardioBound
Site: West Shore Jr/Sr High School (Melbourne, Florida, United States)
Educator: Jessica Wagner
Essential Question: How can a cost-effective Artificial Intelligence-driven diagnostic wearable democratize early arrhythmia detection in underserved communities?
Smart Grow Garden
Site: Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (Atlanta, Georgia, United States)
Educator: Edjohnier Phillips and Carl Palmer
Essential Question: How can student-designed automated systems improve food production in urban communities?
Space and Sea Our Final Frontiers
Site: Davis Middle School: Compton Unified School District (Compton, California, United States)
Educator: Jose Gonzalez
Essential Question: How can we explore space in a sustainable way?
Vida Glow
Site: Fundación Puerta 18 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Educator: Carolina Morán
Essential Question: Why are childhood pathologies rising, and how does nutritional misinformation influence the food choices we bring to our tables?
Projeto Banco Sara
Site: Escola Estadual Paulo Sarasate, Gov (São Paulo, Brazil)
Educator: Eduardo Correa
Essential Question: Why engage with Sustainability?
Slow Fashion
Site: Ridgemont High School (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Educator: Erin Jamieson
Essential Question: How do we create sustainable slow fashion while encouraging self-expression?
Voices from the Past; Voices of the Now: An Oral History Project In Armenia, Quindío
Site: Rufino José Cuervo Centro (Armenia, Quindío, Colombia)
Educator: Biviana Isabel Correa Andica
Essential Question: What historical events from the city can the oldest people transmit to the new generations?
Healthy People, Healthy Planet
Site: ZŠ a Montessori MŠ Prachatice (Prachatice, Czech Republic)
Educator: Dagmar Kozlová
Essential Question: How can we live in harmony with our bodies and the planet?
Decoding Karst Waters: Mineralization Through Science and Technology
Site: Sachkhere Ilia Chavchavadze Public School N2 (Sachkhere, Imereti, Georgia)
Educator: Maia Tkemaladze
Essential Question: How do karst processes and water mineralization affect freshwater quality and availability, and how can we measure this with STEM-devices?
Monetization of Trash
Site: Vidya Vaibhav Hippocampus Public School (Bangalore, Karnataka, India)
Educator: Sowmya Shree
Essential Question: What are the benefits of monetization of trash?
EcoFlux STP
Site: Seth Anandram Jaipuria School (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Educator: Saba Ahmed
Essential Question: How can we redesign rural sanitation so that waste becomes a resource instead of a health hazard?
Green Plastic by Green Sparkers
Site: Ryan International School (New Delhi, Delhi, India)
Educator: Anu Mehta
Essential Question: Can waste become useful without becoming pollution?
An Inclusive, Multi-Sensory Lifeline for Disaster-Prone Communities
Site: Sacred Heart International School (Mulagumudu, Tamil Nadu, India)
Educator: Chrisbin Liana
Essential Question: How can disaster alerts reach and protect people who are often missed by digital warning systems?
Moringa Multigrain Cookies Superfood to Reduce Malnutrition
Site: Joint Initiatives for Global Educational-Equity and Social-Harmony (Buldana, Maharashtra, India)
Educator: Shivaji Deshmukh
Essential Question: How to reduce the Mal-nutrition among the kids, adults in Tribal/Slum area providing employment/reducing Poverty?
Books Before Babies
Site: Malnad Hippocampus International School (Hassan, Karnataka, India)
Educator: Neha Ramesh
Essential Question: How can our community work together to ensure safety and respect for every girl?
SharkBites: The Ocean Has No Voice, But We Do, A Story of Action: Mangrove Fantasy, and Ecopoly: Play Now, Save the Planet!
Site: Leap English and Digital Class (Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia)
Educator: Mieke Puspita
Essential Questions:
Nomad Visit and MediFly—An AI-powered Drone Used in the Field of Medicine
Site: Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Science and Mathematics (Aktau, Kazakhstan)
Educators: Merey Nurgazy and Islam Uzakbay
Essential Question:
The Automated Bin
Site: EduTab Africa (Nairobi, Kenya)
Educator: Patrick Njoroge
Essential Question: How can we use technology to reduce littering and improve recycling rates in social gatherings?
Bora
Site: iEARN-Kenya/Gathugu Secondary School (Nairobi, Kenya)
Educator: Beldine Atieno
Essential Question: What if technology could listen to learners, understand them better, and guide them accordingly?
Montenegro
Play, Learn, Grow
Site: Primary School “Bedri Elezaga”-Vladimir (Ulcinj, Vladimir, Montenegro)
Educator: Luljeta Avdiu Cura
Essential Question: How can outdoor play and learning improve student engagement, creativity, and well-being in schools?
SRGBV School Safety Campaign: Safe School Reporting Techniques
Site: Rising Hope Girls Educational Foundation RHGE (Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria)
Educator: Oghogho Ahanor
Essential Question: How can schools create trusted reporting systems to reduce under-reported SRGBV and prevent future harm?
ConnectED Box: Education Without Internet
Site: Brainz Academy (Alimosho, Lagos State, Nigeria)
Educator: Abdulazeez Sani
Essential Question: How can we deliver quality digital education to students in low-connectivity communities without relying on internet infrastructure?
Empower_Rural
Site: Bramble Learning Space (Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria)
Educator: Tobiloba Akala
Essential Question: How can rural youth combine traditional trade skills with digital tools to build sustainable businesses?
Empowering future medical professionals (Yobe State)
Site: Community Care and Support Initiatives (Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria)
Educator: Auwal Shitu
Essential Question: How can we eliminate financial and academic barriers for aspiring low income medical students?
CYCLONOVA
Site: Corona Day Secondary School (Lagos, Nigeria)
Educator: Victor Okosun
Essential Question: How can we generate energy from waste?
AI-Powered STEAM Games for Inclusive Learning
Site: Community High School Ebute Igbooro (Yewa North, Ogun State, Nigeria)
Educator: Ibukunoluwa Ajayi
Essential Question: How can AI-powered game systems close STEM learning gaps in low-resource schools?
Sustainable Smart School Model & Eco Smart Platform
Site: Qatar Technical School for Girls (Doha, Qatar)
Educator: Nour Mardini
Essential Question: How can technology and student action transform our school into a sustainable environment?
AquaSmart Dam
Site: Dar Al Fikr Schools (Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia)
Educator: Nouf Youssef
Essential Question: How can smart technology improve water efficiency while supporting clean energy, safe drinking water, and sustainable agriculture in arid communities?
Protection of Chimpanzee Habitat in Dindéfelo
Site: Lycée Dindefelo (Kedougou, Senegal)
Educator: Abou Thiandoum
Essential Question: How to preserve chimpanzee habitat in the commune of Dindéfelo by preventing bushfires through learning based on inquiry?
Digital Learning for All: “Empowering Students through Interactive Smart Board Technology”
Site: Galanos Secondary School (Tanga, Tanzania)
Educator: Spellan William
Essential Question: How might Interactive Technology transform teaching and learning to promote educational equity?
Girls & Women in Tech Accelerator
Site: Future Up Nations (Mwanza, Tanzania)
Educator: Erasto Mussa
Essential Question: How can we transform youth into “Digital Ambassadors” using a high-efficiency, low- resource model to bridge the digital divide?
Circular Economy Innovations: Rethinking Waste Management for a Sustainable Future
Site: Everlasting Academy (Kibaha, Tanzania)
Educator: Gift Simle
Essential Question: How can circular economy innovations turn plastic waste into useful products while promoting climate-smart solutions and improving community’s environmental sustainability?
Smart Elevator Access Project
Site: Kütahya Science and Art Center (Kütahya, Turkey)
Educator: Nilgün Gürler
Essential Question: How can accessible, safe, and sustainable transportation be ensured for disadvantaged groups, using AI and innovative solutions to promote equality?
Disaster Detectives: Hunting Risks at School and AI Waste Route
Site: Atatürk Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi (Ankara, Turkey)
Educator: Selçuk Yusuf Arslan
Essential Question: Disaster Detectives: How can students identify disaster risks in their school environment and develop practical solutions to make their school safer?; AI Waste Route: How can artificial intelligence and real-time data optimize waste collection systems to reduce environmental impact and improve urban sustainability?
Wheels of Safety
Site: JDO Rwabu Resource Center (Mukono City, Uganda)
Educator: Kakaire Emmanuel
Essential Question: Is road safety a matter of enforcement, education, or personal responsibility or all three?
Wings on the Brink: Protecting the World’s Endangered Birds
Site: Tripple Blessings Nursery and Primary School (Wakiso, Uganda)
Educator: Immaculate Nakintu
Essential Question: How can understanding endangered bird species help us take action to protect them and their habitats?
Waste to Worth: Feeding Minds, Healing the Earth
Site: Gayaza High School (Gayaza, Kampala, Uganda)
Educator: Joel Bato
Essential Question: How can we transform waste in our community into a sustainable solution that improves school lunches and learning opportunities?
Ride Without Limits
Site: Dove Virtual Academy (Warr Acres, Oklahoma, United States)
Educator: Sara Mehrabi
Essential Question: How can engineering and technology create inclusive play experiences for children with mobility challenges?
Modern Day America
Site: Chicago Vocational High School (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Educator: Rasha Farmer
Essential Question: How can being wrongfully convicted affect the incarcerated mental health?
ReWear
Site: South Fayette High School (McDonald, Pennsylvania, United States)
Educator: James Hausman
Essential Question: How might we reduce clothing waste and consumption by enforcing sustainability in fashion?
Providing Better Study Environment for Student in Need Worldwide and Mentor Them on Water Quality
Site: Innovation International (Saint Augustine, Florida, United States)
Educator: Ricardo Haragutchi
Essential Question: How can we level-set the learning resources and expectations to students in need worldwide?
Agriculture in Eastern Kentucky
Site: John M. Stumbo Elementary (Grethel, Kentucky, United States)
Educator: James Burke
Essential Question: There is a lack of agriculture in EKY, however culturally people grow their own food. How can we help everyone?
Operation Grow Food Sovereignty
Site: Operation Grow Inc. (East Orange, New Jersey, United States)
Educator: Sharonda Allen
Essential Question: How do we help members of our community to gain access to healthy, organic fresh produce, while educating them about the environment?
SmartPass: A Digital Hallway & Bathroom Log System
Site: Leonard V Moore Middle School (Roselle, New Jersey, United States)
Educator: James De Los Reyes
Essential Question: How can technology help schools track hallway and bathroom movement while promoting student responsibility and safety?
