The future of green cities is being shaped today and young voices are an essential part of that change. To recognise the impact of urban greening on future generations, 14 young professionals have come together as the Youth Jury for the AIPH World Green City Awards 2026. These young leaders lend a forward-looking perspective on today’s decision-making to promote cities that put youth and nature at the heart of urban development.

Initiated by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and supported by its network of Green City Partners, the AIPH World Green City Awards champion ambitious nature-orientated approaches to city design and operation. The Awards demonstrate how plants and horticulture contribute to healthier, more resilient, and more liveable cities.

The AIPH Youth Award was established in partnership with the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN). It recognises city greening initiatives that inspire the next generation to actively participate in the global green city movement, enabling stronger connections between cities and their youth populations.

Representing a diverse range of disciplines and geographies, the Youth Jury brings together young leaders with a shared interest in greener, healthier, and more resilient cities. The role of the Youth Jury is to review the Awards Finalists against a set of criteria developed in collaboration with GYBN, and to select the three initiatives most likely to inspire the next generation and tackle the challenges most pressing for people under 35 years old. From this shortlist, one city will win the AIPH Youth Award. 

Winner of the 2024 Youth Award, the City of Joondalup empowered young adults to embrace active lifestyles by providing enhanced green spaces, skate parks, and sporting grounds. Through youth mayoral workshops and environmental programmes, local young people actively shaped the City’s Strategic Community Plan, gaining hands-on management skills while advocating for increased urban canopy and conservation.

The members of the 2026 Youth Jury are:

• Sara Al Jarwan Al Shamsi, Chief Engineer, Roads and Transport Authority Dubai, UAE
• Amirah Dawood, Student - Environmental Sustainability MA, University of Dundee, UK
• Rita Carolina de Olivera, Superintendent, Public Consortium for Solid Waste Management, Brazil
• Chansovichea Duch, Director of Sustainable Urban Development and Design, Sustainable Design 11, Cambodia
• Vera Feeny, Program Manager, Children and Nature, National League of Cities, USA
• Ismail Kara, Youth Environmental advocate/practitioner and researcher, Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), Kenya
• Sneha Mahapatra, Communications Intern, Salzburg Global, Austria
• David Marín, Director, Deliflor Americas, Colombia
• Francesca Mazza, Landscape Architect, What’s That Green?, Italy
• Andrea Oyuela, Program Manager - Solar for All, Harris County, USA
• Maitri Shah, Student - Landscape Architecture MA, CEPT University, India
• Claudia Tan, Teaching Assistant, National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Henil Vashi, Horticultural Advisor, Robin Tacchi Plants, UK
• Marko Yau, Graduate Landscape Architect, UK

Commenting on her appointment to the Youth Jury, Francesca Mazza said: "As a young Landscape Architect, I was driven to join the AIPH World Green City Awards 2026 Youth Jury to champion innovative, plant-powered solutions that secure healthy futures for my generation and beyond. Witnessing urban greening’s transformative power has fuelled my conviction that nature-based solutions (NBS) are vital against climate and social challenges. The Awards spotlight global best practices in biodiversity, climate resilience, and inclusive communities, inspiring entries I’ve studied avidly."

The winner of the AIPH Youth Award 2026 will be announced at the AIPH World Green City Awards Ceremony. Further details will be confirmed shortly.