Fully Funded Trip to Malaysia! Join the SAYEF 2025 Youth Academic Essay Competition

Are you a young changemaker passionate about energy, sustainability, and urban innovation? Here’s your chance to shine on a regional stage! The Youth for Energy Southeast Asia (Y4E-SEA) and the Society of Renewable Energy are inviting young people across Southeast Asia to apply for the SAYEF 2025 Youth Academic Essay Competition – Urban Energy Edition.

This fully-funded opportunity offers a platform for youth aged 15–30 to showcase their ideas and solutions for today’s urban energy challenges—emphasizing youth as leaders, advocates, and entrepreneurs, not just technical players.

What’s the Competition About?

Urban areas in ASEAN are home to nearly half the population and contribute 80% of the region’s GDP. But with growing demand for energy, transportation issues, and increasing climate risks, new ideas and youthful energy are urgently needed.

Participants are required to submit an original essay (1,000–1,500 words) tackling one of four key themes:

Essay Tracks

Track 1: Youth as Energy Access Champions
Break barriers to clean, affordable energy in urban communities.
Track 2: Youth as Mobility Revolution Leaders
Advocate for and innovate sustainable transport systems in cities.
Track 3: Youth as Urban Energy Democracy Advocates
Empower youth voices in shaping local energy policies.
Track 4: Youth as Green City Entrepreneurs
Propose business and tech solutions for sustainable urban energy.

Who Can Apply?