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Today’s Youth Protecting Tomorrow’s Environmen+
Overview
If you know one or more students who have done their part to protect the environment or are interested in
doing more, tell them about the Environmental Protection Agency’s President’s Environmental Youth
Awards (PEYA) program. The PEYA program, in existence for nearly 30 years, is the granddaddy of all
the children’s environmental programs. Kids of any age - from kindergarten through high school - can
enter as individuals, or as a group. All students who complete an environmental project and submit an
application will receive a signed certificate from the President of the United States in recognition of their
accomplishments. One outstanding project from each of the ten EPA Regions will be presented with a
Presidential plaque at an EPA sponsored award ceremony.
Now is the time for students and sponsors to start thinking about what project they might be able to
enter in the next PEYA program. Information on the program is available on the EPA web site at
www.epa.gov/enviroed, or by contacting your Regional PEYA Coordinator at the phone number listed.
The rules are simple: the individual or the group must have completed an environmental project while in
grades K-12; the project must be sponsored by at least one adult representative; and the application
must be mailed to the regional office in your area by the annual application deadline in July.
At a recent awards ceremony, the EPA Administrator said, “These young people are leading the way in
the protection of public health and the environment. Through these projects and commitment, these
students are setting an example for all of us in making our communities cleaner and healthier.”
Past projects have ranged from creating and maintaining an urban nature trail in New York City, to
reversing the decline of the Chiricahua Leopard in the Arizona desert. In Irvine, Kentucky, a group of
students from Estill County High School decided they wanted to put a stop to people littering the
roads and highways of their bluegrass state. After considerable grass-roots organizing and much
publicity, they got an amended version of their “bottle bill” passed by the Kentucky Senate, calling for a
two-year task force to study various refuse control methods. In Ocean Shores, Washington, six high
school girls at the University of Washington Summer Science Camp decided to build an education,
research and tourism trail and conduct experiments with students across the world via a web site they
developed.
Encourage one or more students you know to get involved in the PEYA program and see what a
difference thay can make with an award winning environmental project!

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How The Program Works
The program has two components: The regional
certificate program and the regional award winner.
Regional certificates are awarded by the Regional
Offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
One first place project is selected as the regional winner
by the Regional Office and is presented with a
Presidential plaque at an EPA sponsored award
ceremony.
Regional Certificate Program
The sponsor must complete the attached application and
mail it to the appropriate EPA Regional Office (see listing of
Regional PEYA Coordinators). The regional certificate
program is conducted year-round; therefore, the
applications for the regional program can be submitted at
any time. If a project is completed and submitted as part
of the regional component of the program, all participants
will receive a certificate signed by the President of the
United States honoring them for their efforts in public
health and environmental protection.
Application Procedures
Although creativity is encouraged, applications must
conform to the following guidelines:
• The sponsor(s) MUST sign and date the application.
• The application must summarize the project in no less
than three, and no more than five 81/2 by 11 inch pages,
not including supporting materials. These supporting
materials may include mounted photographs, news
clippings, and other supplemental items such as full texts
of scientific papers. Typed (double spaced) applications
are encouraged. Applicants should type or write only on
one side of each sheet.
• Applicants are strongly urged to follow the specific criteria
that the Regional Awards Panel will use to evaluate
applications (see Judging Criteria). Because judges can
not visit projects, students are encouraged to include
photographs, newspaper articles, and other supporting
materials with their applications. This will help the judging
panel to gain a more comprehensive view of the project.
• On a separate sheet of paper, attached to the three to
five-page application, list the group name (if
applicable), names of individuals and addresses of all
project participants and sponsors. Also list the project
name if it has one. The sponsor’s home and work
telephone numbers and signature must appear on this
sheet.
How To Apply
Eligibility
To be eligible, a young person, or group of young
people, must have completed an environmental project
while in grades kindergarten through 12, and the project
must be sponsored by at least one adult representative
of their school, camp, youth group, or public interest
group.
Application Deadline _______________________
To participate in the annual awards competition,
projects must be completed by July 31st of the award
year; applications must be mailed to the appropriate
Regional Office; and applications must be postmarked by
July 31st or earlier of the same year. Do not mail the
applications to EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Judging Criteria ___________________________
Each Regional Awards Panel will judge projects on:
• The environmental need for the project.
• The environmental appropriateness of the project.
• Accomplishment of goals.
• The long-term environmental benefits derived from the
project.
• Positive environmental impact on the local community
and society.
• The extent to which the project was designed,
coordinated, and implemented due to the young
person’s or persons’ initiative.
• The positive ways in which other groups or individuals
were involved to provide funds, resources, or publicity.
• Innovation.
• Soundness of approach, rationale, and scientific design
(if applicable).
• Clarity and effectiveness.
Role of Sponsor
The adult sponsor plays an important role in helping a
young person or group of young people carry out their
projects and apply for awards. Sponsors should offer
suggestions and advice on:
• Developing a sound approach to the project.
• Project implementation.
• Working with other groups and individuals in the
corn mu n ity.
• Completing the application form(s) and preparing
accompanying materials.
The sponsor must be an adult and can be a teacher,
youth group advisor, summer camp counselor, or
community leader. Young people must work closely with
the sponsor(s) throughout the project and application
procedures. Questions can be directed to your state’s
Regional PEYA Coordinator.

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EPA Regional PEYA Coordinators
EPA Region I - Wanda Rivera, (617) 918-1113
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
EPA Region 2 - Cecelia Echols, (212) 637-3678
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
EPA Region 3 - Betty Ringkamp, (215) 884-5663
Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C.
EPA Region 4-Alice Chastain, (404) 562-8314
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee
EPA Region 5 - Megan Gavin, (312) 353-5282
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
EPA Region 6 - Sergio Rodriguez, (214) 665-7185
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
EPA Region 7 - Bill Landis, (913) 551-7314
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
EPA Region 8 - Fran Wiscamb, (303) 312-6613
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
EPA Region 9 - Vacant, (415) 744-1166
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana
Islands
EPA Region 10 - Sally Hanft, (206) 553-1207
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

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United States Environmental Protection Agency                                   (Please print or type.)
President's Environmental Youth Awards Application
This is a voluntary program. Applications should
be filled out only by (hose who wish to participate.
Name:	
Street:	
City:	   State:	  Zip:

Project: Describe project and results achieved.
Date project was started	     and ended  	
Did project receive press coverage?	     If "yes", attach press clippings.
Number of certificates required	
On a separate sheet of paper, please list the name(s), addresses, ages, and grades of individuals qualifying for
awards.  Print or type the name(s).

Signature(s) of sponsor(s) - Must be signed by adult sponsor(s).
Name	 Name	
Street	Street	
City, State, Zip	 City, State, Zip	
Home  telephone	Home telephone	
Business telephone	Business telephone.
Signature	Signature	

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