Most people notice a problem, talk about it and move on. Three Indian teenagers chose a different path.
Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal and Avyana Mehta became the first Indians to win ‘The Earth Prize 2026’, the world’s largest environmental sustainability competition for 13-19-year-olds. Their innovation, ‘Plas-Stick’ offers a simple, affordable way to remove dangerous microplastics from drinking water.
The idea was born during a visit to a rural community, where they saw a child drinking water stored in a shared plastic container without any filtration. Instead of waiting for governments, scientists or large organisations to solve the problem, they asked a simple question: “What can we do?”
Their answer was remarkable. Using discarded tamarind seeds, the team created a biodegradable powder that binds invisible microplastic particles into visible clumps. These clumps can then be removed with a simple handheld magnet—without electricity or harmful chemicals. The collected plastic is later converted into useful products such as tiles and coasters, preventing it from returning to the environment.
Designed to be low-cost and accessible, Plas-Stick has the potential to make cleaner drinking water available to underserved communities where expensive purification systems are not practical. The students also collaborated with researchers at IIT Guwahati to refine their innovation.
Competing against regional winners from across the world, the trio first won the Asia Regional title and a US$12,500 grant before being crowned Global Winners, securing a share of a US$100,000 fund to help scale their solution.
Their story carries a lesson far bigger than the award itself. You don’t need to be an adult, a government official or the head of a large organisation to create change. Every breakthrough begins with someone who decides to act instead of waiting.
If three teenagers could turn discarded tamarind seeds into a solution for one of the world’s fastest-growing pollution problems, imagine what millions of young people could achieve if they simply looked around, found a problem worth solving and got to work.
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