The Lens
The QS ImpACT Skills Challenge
Turning Digital Play Into Real-World Action
By Krusha Khakhar, QS ImpACT
"This unique challenge invites young people to use something familiar and exciting to them: games."
Across the world, young people are more connected than ever. Learning, socialising, and expressing themselves through digital platforms. Yet, with a generation that is perpetually online, the challenge isn’t just providing information about sustainability. It’s keeping them engaged enough to take action.
The QS ImpACT Skills Challenge returned for its second edition in 2025, building on the success of the inaugural challenge in 2024. Instead of teaching sustainability through lectures or static presentations, this unique challenge invites young people to use something familiar and exciting to them: games.
Not games for entertainment, but games designed to make players care, question, and act for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Last year, the virtual challenge featured a single track for participants, but this year, it expanded into two ways to join: Beginner (no-code) and Advanced (coding), giving young people of all skill levels an opportunity to participate.
Most participants had never built a game before. Yet across this edition, over 210 youth teams from more than 45 countries, representing 70 universities, took part. Through several training sessions led by expert educators by the Title Sponsor, Zoom Communications, Inc. and training and education partners J.P. Morgan, Unity Technologies, NextLab by Arizona State University, University of Exeter, and Netcore Cloud, they learned how to transform SDG-related challenges such as climate action, waste management, recycling, and gender equality into interactive, educational game experiences. Their work resulted in 21 high-impact finalist games, proof that when young people are given the right platform, they don’t just learn about the SDGs. They start acting on them.
Meet the 2025 Winners
Beginner Track (No-Code Games):
Winner: A Light in the Dark: Finland
Created by a youth team from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, this narrative game draws inspiration from Florence Nightingale, exploring SDGs 3, 4, 5 & 16 through storytelling and empathy-based decision-making.
Runner-up: radio!ACTIVE: Germany
Inspired by real events, this game raises awareness about radioactive waste and environmental safety, empowering players to understand the consequences of environmental decisions.
Advanced Track (Coding Games)
Winner: GreenRise: Colombia
Developed by students from Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, GreenRise is a 3D educational game empowering underserved youth to build greener cities through recycling, composting, and reforestation.
Runner-up: EcoTTD: France
Created by students from IAE Paris-Est, EcoTTD reimagines the classic OpenTTD into a sustainability challenge focused on designing eco-friendly transport systems.
Why It Matters
We live in a world where attention spans are short, information overload is real, and youth engagement is harder than ever.
But when learning becomes interactive, and education becomes play, engagement can turn into action. The QS ImpACT Skills Challenge enables young people to:
- Learn new digital and problem-solving skills
- Collaborate across borders
- Turn sustainability concepts into energy, creativity, and action
Young people do not have to be game designers to make an impact through the Skills Challenge, they are simply youth learning to use digital tools to shape the future. And that is exactly why the challenge works. It meets youth where they are — on digital platforms — and shows them they have the power to design, build, and influence real change.
Skills Challenge 2026
The QS ImpACT Skills Challenge returns in March 2026 for its third edition, and we’re already gearing up for another high-impact year.
Registrations are now open and completely free. Youth can form a team of 2–5 people and join the global challenge to design digital games that inspire action for the UN SDGs.
This challenge is open to all youth aged 18-35, no prior coding or game design experience required. Participants learn about the SDGs, about designing games for impact, and about turning ideas into tangible action through hands-on, experiential learning. Guided by industry experts from sustainability, tech, and game development, they get the opportunity to upskill in leadership, collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation.
For universities, the Skills Challenge is a plug-and-play opportunity to empower students to innovate and tackle real sustainability challenges. Institutions can encourage student teams across disciplines to register, support diverse learning levels through the Beginner (no-code) and Advanced (coding) tracks, and connect them with global industry experts. By participating, universities demonstrate a commitment to experiential learning, tech-for-good, and sustainability, positioning themselves as leaders in advancing the SDGs while giving their students a global stage to showcase their innovation and talent.
Partner With Purpose
Partnering with the QS ImpACT Skills Challenge positions your organisation as a leader in tech-for-good and youth innovation — alongside a UNEP-accredited global charity. Gain global visibility through QS and QS ImpACT channels and at the QS ImpACT Youth Summit in London, while making a real impact by empowering young changemakers.
To explore collaborations, email [email protected]
QS ImpACT is a UNEP-accredited global charity registered in the UK and Wales and the global SDG incubator for a better world. Our global community of youth grows and earns recognition for their positive impact on society. We equip young leaders with the skills to drive impactful actions through strategic collaborations with universities, organisations, and communities. In 2024, we impacted over 162,000 people across 101 countries, with over 7,000 community members and 50 Youth Ambassadors.
The culmination of the 2024 calendar year at QS ImpACT was marked by the prestigious QS ImpACT Awards, serving as our organisation's flagship event. The overarching theme and mission of the awards centered on celebrating youth-led impact through sustainable initiatives and innovations.
It featured influential speeches and engaging discussions, showcasing the participation of distinguished leaders from the United Nations, top university leaders, and sustainability experts. The final eight winners of the QS ImpACT Awards 2024 came from six different countries, driving change across diverse areas—from climate education and sustainable innovation to biodiversity protection, plastic pollution solutions, and waste management advocacy. Their collective impact highlights the power of young changemakers in tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.