National Geographic is partnering up with Sky Ocean Ventures to organise a one-year competition called Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge, a global search for valid alternatives to single use plastic. 

The Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge is an important part of the Planet or Plastic? initiative launched in Asia by National Geographic to tackle the catastrophic impact of plastic pollution on the oceans. 

According to a recent National Geographic study, nine million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean every year and the number could reach 17 million by 2025. Luckily, there is something we can all do by taking a pledge to reduce single use plastic in our everyday lives.

Anybody can take part in the challenge. Each team or individual should provide their solution and alternative to enter the competition by June 11, 2019. A group of experts will judge the work and select the teams that will be competing for a share of $1.5 million dollars in awards and investment and announce the winners by December 2019.  

The Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge will have three tracks that will take place simultaneously: Design track, circular economy track and data visualisation track. In the design track, participants will identify practical and investable solutions to reduce the use of plastic in food and beverage packaging; in the circular economy track, they will develop business models and technological solutions to apply their model to various industries; finally, in the data visualisation track, participants will create a visual data representing information or statistics related to the global challenge that represents the seriousness of the issue.  

For more information  and to take part in the competition, click here.