The British Council is pleased to announce the ten international finalists who have won a place to compete at the FameLab Climate Change Communicators Online Final this September 2021.
Among the ten finalists is the Philippines’ very own John Leo Algo, a climate and environment advocate and citizen journalist who has represented the Philippines and the youth sector in regional and global UN conferences since 2017.
‘Communication is key to addressing our problems, big or small. The world needs more people that are passionate about conveying the urgency of addressing the climate crisis,’ shared Algo.
The finalists beat off competition from video entrants from around the world, impressing the judges with their three-minute video talks on the theme ‘Trust in Climate Science’. Here is the full list of finalists:
- Aditi Chandra, engineer and entrepreneur at Kay Bouvet Engineering, India
- Arka Chakraborty, student at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
- Danny Joseph Daniels, CVO at Lombris, Mexico
- Emiliane Daher Pereira, researcher at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- John Leo Algo, Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Campaigns at Living Laudato Si’ Philippines, Philippines
- Larissa Cunha Pinheiro, PhD student in Nuclear Engineering at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Mayur Bonkile, PhD student at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
- Minh Anh Le, research assistant at Institute of Health, Economics and Technology, Vietnam
- Navjeet Kaur, PhD student at University of Mumbai, India
- Pallavi Pokharel, a recent graduate of Kathmandu University, Nepal
The video entries spanned a range of climate science topics ranging from clean energy to coral reef preservation, breaking down some of the latest international developments in science and technology to help tackle the climate crisis.
The finalists will now take part in online training and networking activities, including a two-day online masterclass with the leading science communicator Wendy Sadler to hone their skills before the final.
Adrian Fenton, Senior Consultant in Public Engagement at the British Council said: ‘We had a great response to FameLab Climate Change Communicators, and we thank everyone who took the time to create and send us their video entries. It’s been so inspiring to have received such high quality, personal entries from around the world from individuals who share our passion for building trust in climate science.’
Dr Ahmed Alboksmaty, Research Associate in the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, and member of the judging panel for the FameLab Climate Change Communicators video entry round, said: ‘It was an honour and a pleasure to watch the video entries tackling a range of climate science related topics. We had some tough decisions to make but the ten finalists stood out with their content, clarity and charisma – and really made us want to hear more! I’m sure they will benefit from the training and we look forward to hearing more from them in the International Online Final.’
Global audiences will have the chance to hear the finalists at the FameLab Climate Change Communicators International Online Final, which will be streamed on the British Council YouTube channel on 28 September.
The winner’s journey won’t end there – the top FameLab Climate Change Communicator will progress through to the FameLab International Online Final in November 2021, one of the world’s leading science communication competitions.
FameLab Climate Change Communicators is one of many activities the British Council is delivering as part of The Climate Connection programme: the British Council’s global platform for dialogue, cooperation and action against climate change.
