by Bircan ÜNVER, M.A., Author & Director of the Project, LMGlobal.Org & Moderator of the Award Ceremony

The 2025 J.U.C. Awards Ceremony – Booklet#5

His Excellencies, Esteemed Speakers, Presenters, certainly, award-winning students, participating students and schools, organizations, and all guests of the session around the world…

Welcome to you all…

First, I would like to thank Ali Tuna Özer, a young and bright Pianist/Composer, IB student at Koç High School in Istanbul, who is 17 years old, for his wonderful and inspiring performance along with his composition titled “Aydınlık Yarınlar” (To Bright Tomorrows).

I am Bircan Ünver, Author of the J.U.C. Awards concept & Director of the Project & Moderator of this Award Ceremony today.

Thank you for joining us for the third of the bi-annual international 2025 J.U.C. Awards Ceremony, which is designed for international high school students and was introduced in January 2020 in Loving Memory of J.U.C.

By now, many of you know the story behind this project, which is taking a different approach instead of mourning for the sudden departure of the “loved one.”
 In this line, I would like to thank my elder son, Baris Ünver, who has been providing emotional support throughout the years along with my two grandchildren.

In this given background, this project was born out of my deepest sorrow in late December 2019 that any mother on Earth could suffer for the rest of her life. Despite that, I have taken up another path towards expanding my love for international high school students through this bi-annual symbolic project, which has become my new mission in life since then.
If you don’t know and would like to know about the story behind this project, please check out the following link for the (2020) Story of the J.U.C. M-R-W-A.

Now, let’s move forward and look at the commitments and blossoms of the youth’s contribution to the Water Action Decade, and briefly introduce the outcome of the 2025 J.U.C. Awards.

The Light Millennium Global is proud to present the 2025 J.U.C. Awards Ceremony, dedicated to the #WaterActionDecade.
 After a rigorous evaluation process, we are thrilled to introduce this year’s outstanding winners across four categories.

Before diving into the program, in a nutshell, we have received 48 submissions in five countries, including Burundi, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka & Turkiye.
 The Writing Category has received the majority of the submissions, the Media Category followed it, and then the Innovation Category. For 2025, the Research Category received the lowest amount of submissions, within 48 total submissions.

The 2025 Evaluation Committee has met five times and concluded its Evaluation Process for all categories.
 Also, the Evaluation Committee decided to award three Special Awards including one by the Ataturk Society of America, along with two additional awards through the President of the Light Millennium Global and through The Light Millennium TV, this one in particular, to honor the name of Jacques Yves Cousteau, since we dedicated the concept through his following quote, “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one” as an inspirational source, to the Water Action Decade (2018-2028).

It has been truly an empowering collaborative and inspiring work in multiple dimensions, such as participating schools, contributing organizations, student coordinators, interview sessions with the finalists, and certainly to the dedicated co-chairs and the entire members of the 2025 Evaluation Committee, including Project Assistant. You will meet each of them later on in this session.

This year, the number of initially announced monetary awards has increased from 13 to 16, highlighting our continued commitment to water sustainability and youth engagement that will be illustrated in this session through #OneMinute #WaterActionCommitment as well.

What are they receiving?

In all four categories (#Media, #Research, #Innovation, #Writing), the first-place winners will get $300 each
. The second-place winners in each category, along with Special Awards winners, will get $200 each. The third-place winners in each category will get $100.

Overall will get $500.-
 with a total of 16 monetary awards.
Encouragement Award – Non-monetary award winners will get an equal level of recognition and equal screen time with the rest of the winners including web postings and by making #OneMinute WaterAction Commitment in this session along with participating in the upcoming showcase session.

The 2025 Evaluation Committee decided to provide a “Participation Certificate” to all eligible submissions for their given time, effort, and contribution to the concept.

Further, we are excited that some of the winners of the prior 2023 J.U.C. Awards are joining us to pass the torch to the winners of the 2025.

Furthermore, please mark your calendar for Saturday, April 26, 2025, for the Showcase of the 2025 J.U.C. Awards by the Award Winning Students.

In conclusion, it has been almost a year since we announced the dedication theme to the #WaterActionDecade during our–fourth–2024 World Water Day international panel on March 24, 2024.
Now, we are proud and very excited to announce the winners today, in particular, on the 2025 World Water Day (it is also the Organization’s fifth annual World Water Day program).
HAPPY WORLD WATER DAY…


We congratulate all the award winners and thank each applicant, participating school, and contributing organizations, along with the international student coordinators.

Once again, welcome to you ALL, and HAPPY WORLD WATER DAY!

# # #

2020: The Story of the J.U.C. M-R-W-A

Booklets:

2025 J.U.C. Awards / Booklet#5

2024 J.U.C. Awards / Booklet#4

2023 J.U.C. Awards / Booklet#3

2021 J.U.C. Awards / Booklet#2

2020 J.U.C. Awards / Booklet#1

Related Newsletters:

Newsletter #18 | March 18, 2025
Invitation: Let’s Celebrate #WorldWaterDay Together with the 
2025 J.U.C. Award Winners & Make #OneMinute #WaterActionCommitment on 22 March 2025 #JUCAwardsCeremony2025  

Newsletter #16 | February 27, 2025
Now, We Have The Winners… #JUCAwards2025: The Rigorous Evaluation Process Has Been Concluded.

Newsletter#15 | February 17, 2025
Let’s Meet the Finalists of the First Round of the Evaluation Process for the 2025 J.U.C. Awards

Newsletter #7 | December 5, 2024
Global Youth Rise to the Water Challenge: 2025 J.U.C. Awards Inspire Young Minds #JUCAwards2025

©2020-2025 J.U.C. Awards – A Bi-Annual Program for international high school students by The Light Millennium Global | www.lmglobal.org