Help university student teams get to New York City to present their climate solutions!

Support the OpenAir Collective’s 5th Annual Carbon Removal Challenge, a volunteer-run program in which university students from around the world develop creative, practical climate solutions that remove carbon from our air, land, or sea. Last year 37 teams from 8 countries participated!

The students get the chance to attend a career-changing webinar and mentorship program led by carbon removal experts, who volunteer their time to guide and inspire them. By the end of the challenge, the student teams submit white papers about their innovative carbon removal projects and receive feedback from the volunteer judges, who also select the winning teams.

In May, the winners travel to New York City to the Carbon Unbound East conference!* They will present to and meet with climate entrepreneurs, investors, and advocates who will encourage them to continue their critical work on climate. As you can see in the 2026 video above, the students were thrilled to attend.

We need your help to fund their life-changing trips. No contribution is too small – every bit helps us bring the next generation of talented engineers, thinkers, and designers into this important sector. Help us empower and provide them with the tools and support to make a lasting impact on our planet, by making a tax-deductible donation .

Thank you for believing in the power of students to change the world!

With gratitude from volunteers Sue, Matt, Duncan, Beatriz and Markus of the OpenAir Collective’s Carbon Removal Challenge Organizing Committee.

For more information about the challenge, visit https://openaircollective.cc/crc

*to be confirmed for 2027

2026 Challenge Winners @ Carbon Unbound East Coast

Rutgers

Rutgers

KAIST

Cornell/Columbia/Princeton

University of Michigan

Cornell/Columbia/Princeton showing off their solution

Cornell/Columbia/Princeton and Rutgers

Rutgers, University of Michigan, and KAIST

KAIST

2027 Carbon Removal Challenge

Help Top University Students Decarbonize the Planet!