The Award Program For High School Students was launched to increase high school students' curiosity and enthusiasm about social responsibility, to raise awareness among high school students, to encourage their participation in social responsibility projects, and to highlight young people who take an active role in social change.
To spark high school students' curiosity and enthusiasm for social responsibility, raise awareness among young people, encourage their participation in social responsibility projects, and highlight young people who take an active role in driving social change, we launched the Award Program for High School Students.
- Dates
- ● May 1 - June 5, 2026 - Application period
- ● November 2026 - Notification of winners
- Evaluation
- ● Social Impact
- ● Communication
- ● Feasibility
- ● Sustainability of the Project
- ● Innovation
- ● Application File and Presentation
- Award
- ● Full scholarship at Sabancı University Summer High School
- Application Requirements
- ● Prep 9-10-11th grade all high school students
- ● Participation can be made individually or as a group and each participant/group can participate in the Award Program with one project. Each group can consist of a maximum of 3 people.
- ● More than one project from the same school can apply.
- ● First-degree relatives of the people in the selection committee of the Award Program cannot apply.
- ● Participation in the Award Program is free of charge.
The Jury from Last Year
- Cem Güneri - Vice President, Sabancı University
- Cenk Bayırlı - Director of Institutional Development and Alumni Relations, Sabancı University,
- Ece Uslu - CMO, Amazon Türkiye
- Emre Başkan - Founder, Azor Brand & People Solutions
- Haluk Bal - Board Member, ERG
- Mine Göknar - Deputy General Manager, TURMEPA
- Mutlu Bozkurt Besimzade - Director of Marketing and Institutional Communications, Sabancı University
- Nevgül Bilsel Safkan - General Manager, Sabancı Foundation
- Nil Memişoğlu - Secretary General, Sani Şener Foundation
- Ömür Kula - General Manager, WWF - Türkiye
- Rana Tutcuoğlu - Secretary General, TÜSEV
- Zafer Yenal - Faculty Member, Sabancı University
- Zeynep Bahar - Civic Involvement Projects Manager, Sabancı University
- Cem Güneri - Vice President, Sabancı University
- Emre Başkan - Founder, Azor Brand & People Solutions
- Haluk Bal - Board Member, ERG
- Melisa Sabancı Tapan - Member of the Board of Trustees, Sabancı University
- Mine Göknar - Deputy General Manager, TURMEPA
- Mutlu Bozkurt Besimzade - Director of Marketing and Institutional Communications, Sabancı University
- Nevgül Bilsel Safkan - General Manager, Sabancı Foundaiton
- Nil Memişoğlu - Former Representative of the United Nations Türkiye Programme
- Ömür Kula - General Manager, WWF - Türkiye
- Rana Tutcuoğlu - Secretary General, TÜSEV
- Zeynep Bahar - Civic Involvement Projects Manager, Sabancı University
2025 Award Program Winners
The award recipients, selected among the applicants based on the work they carried out throughout the year, were announced at a ceremony held at Sabancı University Performance Center on December 5, 2025. Held on International Volunteer Day, the ceremony was hosted by Emre Erol, Director of Sabancı University's Foundations Development Directorate, and Zeynep Bahar, CIP Manager.
First Prize
Book Connection: A Bridge to Knowledge
Ayşe Karadeniz, Demir Özdemir, and Zehra lşıl Kayalı (İstanbul / Çevre College Anatolian High School)
Second Prize
Krill Awareness for Biodiversity Conservation
Selen Türkkan and Azra Deniz (Tekirdağ Çorlu Science and Art Center)
Third Prize
Stories of Our Rights
Öykü Balbars (Manisa Salihli Sekine Evren Anatolian High School) and Duru Yıldız (İzmir Konak High School)
Sustainability Special Award
DÊBAF: Cow's Milk Feed
Ela Naz Yavaş, Hacer Ela Yamaç, and Büşra Karcı (Antalya Erünal Social Sciences High School)
The award recipients, selected among the applicants based on the work they carried out throughout the year, were announced at a ceremony held at the Sabancı University Performance Center on December 5, 2024. Hosted on International Volunteer Day, the ceremony was co-hosted by Sabancı University Vice President Cem Güneri and CIP Manager Zeynep Bahar.
| First Prize | Second Prize | Third Prize | Technology and Social Innovation Award |
 |  |  |  |
| Energy Awareness: Doing More with Less Akın Atabulu ve Derin Yandaş (İzmir Özel Eraslan Anatolian High School) | Raising Awareness of Celiac Disease Leyla Akça, Ayşe Yaylacı ve Dilara Özen (Ankara Eskişehir Yolu Sınav College Science High School) | Awareness Project on Violence Against Women Rana Kılıç, İrem Altay ve Helin Turgut (Batman Anatolian High School) | 6 - Dot Brick Project Alp Özpamir (American Collegiate Institue, İzmir) |