19- year- old Josephine Thomas, a first year student at the University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE) in East New Britain, was announced as the winner of the Papua New Guinea National Climate Change Essay competition. The essay was prepared with a criteria and 50 topics to be chosen, and out of over 50 schools in the Argumentative Essay competition participated, Josephine was 1 out 27 candidates who met the requirements. The Essay Competition was released in August for all tertiary Institutions to participate. The award was presented by the School Awards and Research Funding Program Officer Ms. Juliana Mohe at the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Climate Change Summit (NCCS) in Port Moresby yesterday. The winning essay topic was on “Reducing Pollution and Improving Waste Management in PNG.” “I am very proud of myself for this achievement and take this as motivation to take up more challenges in life,” said Josephine. The essay stressed about researched facts from the 2018 Journal, “Pollution and Waste Management in Papua New Guinea- Challenges and Solutions,” by Mr. Josek Johnson. This addressed threats from inadequate practices by industries, contributing to a more dangerous climate and how we organize strategic solutions to minimize the threats responsibly. The PNGNCCS Sponsors were proud to be joined by Ms. Thomas and her parents, covering all the travelling and accommodation fees and with a generous gesture of K3, 000 from Ela Motors to be spent in Theodist. “The competition should happen annually for students to discover their potential and stimulate their intellect on productive ways that can benefit our nation,” she said. Josephine also encouraged those participating in the Essay Competition in the future to promote the fight against climate change and encourage social inclusion. Young Josephine comes from both Milne Bay and Eastern Highlands Provinces and study’s Sustainable Tropical Agriculture at the UNRE.