Published: June 4, 2026 โข 11:59 AM IST ยท Updated: June 4, 2026 โข 2:04 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
What if the answer to one of the world's growing pollution problems was hiding inside a tamarind seed?
That simple idea has just earned three Indian teenagers one of the biggest honours in youth environmental innovation.
Sixteen-year-olds Avyana Mehta, Ariana Agarwal and Vivaan Chhawchharia have been named Global Winners of The Earth Prize 2026, becoming the first team from India to claim the competition's top title.
Their invention, called Plas-Stick, uses discarded tamarind seeds to remove microplastics from water.
The Earth Prize is considered the world's largest environmental competition for young people aged 13 to 19. THE PROBLEM THAT SPARKED AN IDEA The idea was born during a visit to a rural community.