The third Yuva Sustainability Conference and Awards 2026, organised by Voices of Bharat: Yuva for Sustainability in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre, conferred the Sustainability Karma Education Awards 2026 to recognise exemplary campus practices and outstanding initiatives by educators that advance sustainability.
A total of 16 awards were presented under the Sustainability Karma Campus Leadership Awards – 2026 (Institutions), while 9 awards were conferred under the Sustainability Karma Education Ambassador Awards – 2026 (Individuals).
The awardees were selected by an eminent and diverse jury whose collective expertise spans governance, education, media, and sustainability, ensuring a rigorous and credible selection process. The jury was chaired by Dr Dev Swarup, Vice Chancellor of Baba Amte Divyang University and Vishvakarma Skills University, with Prof Sanjeev Bhanawat, Former Head of the Centre for Mass Communication, University of Rajasthan, serving as Convenor. Prof Govind Singh, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand; Suchetana Ray, Executive Editor at NDTV; Rajendra Bhanawat, Trustee, Foundation for Education and Development; and Venkat Sundaram, International Business and Sustainability Consultant, constituted the jury members.
Sustainability Karma Education Ambassador Awards were given away to Prof Vinay Kumar Pathak, Vice Chancellor, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaja University, (Kanpur, UP) under the sub-category of Distinguished Vice Chancellor Award; Dr J Janet, Principal, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology (Paiyanoor, Tamil Nadu) under Outstanding College Principal Award; Prof (Dr) Tanu Dang, Professor, University School of Mass Communication (GGSIPU, New Delhi), Dr Poonam Singhal, Scientist, Centre for Policy Research, University of Hyderabad (Telangana); Dr Vaishali Sahu, Deputy Director, IQAC, The North Cap University (Gurugram, Haryana); Dr Shahnaaz Zabi, Assistant Professor, Faculty of journalism and Mass Communication, Usha Martin University (Ranchi, Jharkhand) under Sustainability Catalyst Champion Awards; Prof Ramesh Lekshmana Peruma, President, IGEN and Joint Registrar Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute (Chennai, Tamil Nadu), Dr Archana Kumari, Associate Professor, Centre for Media Studies (JNU, New Delhi), Dr J S Sudarsan, Head, School of Energy and Environment, NICMAR University (Pune, Maharashtra) under the Jury’s Sustainability Ambassador Awards.
The Sustainability Karma Campus Leadership Awards – 2026 (Institutions) winners included IIMT University (Meerut, UP), Kanoria PG Mahila Mahavidyalya (Jaipur, Rajasthan), and Aarupadai Yeedu Institute of Technology (Paiyanoor, Tamil Nadu) for Holistic Sustainability Excellence; Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, (Bangalore, Karnataka), Senior Secondary Model School for Persons with Visual Disabilities, (Dehradun, Uttarakhand), and BCM Arya Model Sr.Sec.School (Ludhiana, Punjab) for Zero Waste and Circularity; B.H.Gardi College of Engineering and Technology (Rajkot, Gujarat), Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (Faridabad, Haryana) for Energy and Climate, Miranda House, Delhi University, The NorthCap University (Gurugram, Haryana) for Community Impact; Billabong High International School (Noida, UP), Miranda House (Delhi), NICMAR University (Pune, Maharashtra) for Sustainability in Curriculum & Research; Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (Kanpur, UP) for Industry Partnerships, and Sri Sri University (Cuttack, Odisha) for Policy Driven Initiatives under the Open Category; and NICMAR University (Pune, Maharashtra) under the Special Jury Award.
Eminent speakers at the 3rd Yuva Sustainability Conference & Awards 2026 included Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Padma Bhushan awardee and Founder of HESCO; Peepal Baba; Anshu Gupta, Magsaysay Awardee and Founder of Goonj (online); Prof K G Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre; Dr Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri International; and Dr Dev Swarup, Vice Chancellor of Vishvakarma Skills University and Baba Amte Divyang University.
Voices of Bharat: Yuva for Sustainability was launched on World Environment Day 2025 by Bhajanlal Sharma, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, with a clear vision to empower youth as storytellers of sustainability. Yuva for Sustainability focuses on building storytelling skills among students, enabling them to communicate climate issues with clarity, creativity, and purpose.
The initiative has been also endorsed by Sanjay Sharma, State Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Rajasthan, and Manju Bagmar, State Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of Rajasthan.
The initiative is guided by an advisory board comprising five serving and former vice-chancellors, ensuring strong academic and institutional grounding.
Its education partners include Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vishwakarma Skills University, Central University of Kashmir, IMT University, Apex University, and Kanodia PG Mahila Mahavidyalaya.