Attention students: 17 goals competition for a sustainable future!

Attention students: 17 goals competition for a sustainable future!

The Education for Sustainable Development (SBNE) team at the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district office has launched a call for Berlin schools to take part in the 17 goals competition. This competition is announced in the sustainable homework booklet, the “Möhrchenheft”, which was distributed to around 23,000 students. School classes and students are invited to submit their ideas and projects for implementing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals cover key issues such as poverty reduction, climate protection, education, health, environmental protection and biodiversity. The competition aims to raise awareness of the importance of the SDGs and encourage young people to get actively involved in a healthy and sustainable future.

“The contributions are intended to show which goal is particularly important, how the participants get involved and what ideas they have for a healthy world,” explains the district office. Submissions are possible in different formats: texts, photos, audios or videos are welcome, supplemented by a short description and information about the class. These submissions can be made either by email to sbne@charlottenburg-wilmersdorf.de with the keyword “17 goals competition” or by post to the Education for Sustainable Development Office, Otto-Suhr-Allee 100, 10585 Berlin. The deadline for entries is January 31, 2026, and the award ceremony is scheduled to take place in March 2026.

Prizes and Incentives

To encourage participation, the SBNE team is giving away a variety of prizes among all submissions. This includes three 250 euros for the class fund as well as other incentives such as cinema tickets, experiment kits, book boxes, fair sports balls and fair trade shirts. These prizes are intended not only to express appreciation for the students' commitment, but also to provide an incentive to engage intensively with the topics of sustainable development.

Sustainable education in Germany

The importance of education for sustainable development (ESD) is also underlined by current studies. A study by Greenpeace shows that around 16.3 billion euros will be needed by 2035 to prepare schools in Germany for global challenges. The largest part of these investments should flow into the training and further education of teachers, which underlines the importance of qualified staff. Thomas Hohn from Greenpeace emphasizes that it is necessary to talk about investments in sustainable education.

The study also shows that only 7 percent of school leaders say that sustainability is covered in all subjects at their school. A survey by the Education Association shows that 72 percent of school management see a lack of time and staff as the biggest hurdles to greater focus on ESD. Another 54 percent see a lack of financial resources as a significant obstacle. Nevertheless, a majority believe that sustainability should be a central theme in school, which makes the upcoming competition particularly relevant.

For further information on the sustainability goals, those interested can visit the website of the Federal Environment Ministry, where comprehensive details on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are provided.

If you have any questions about the competition, please contact Lidia Perico from the district office on (030) 9029–12104. The 17 Goals Competition is an opportunity for schools to actively participate in the discussion about sustainability and to develop creative solutions for a better future.