Toyota Eco Youth 2026 starts in Malaysia, 30 schools shortlisted

KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Toyota Motor has kicked off the Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) 2026 Workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, with a two-day session that took place from March 30 to 31, 2026 at Wyndham Acmar, Klang, ahead of the programme’s official opening today, April 1, 2026.

The long-running environmental education programme drew 327 submissions from secondary schools across Malaysia after entries opened nationwide earlier this year, showing there is still strong student interest in tackling environmental issues at community level.

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Now in its 25th edition, Toyota Eco Youth has grown into a well-established platform for students aged 13 to 16 to take on local environmental problems and come up with workable solutions.

Rather than being just another awareness campaign, the programme pushes students to identify real issues in their surroundings and respond with projects built around Toyota’s structured Problem Solving Methodology.

That practical element remains the backbone of TEY. It is not just about ideas on paper, but about whether students can turn those ideas into something measurable and useful on the ground.

“Through Toyota Eco Youth, beyond learning about environmental issues, students will get to develop the skills, confidence, and mentorship support to take meaningful action to become an active member of their communities. Celebrating the 25th Edition, we are proud to empower these young changemakers to translate ideas into tangible, measurable projects that can make a lasting difference in their communities.” said Datuk Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

Out of the 327 submissions received, 30 schools have now been shortlisted for the workshop and project implementation phase. Each of these schools will receive a RM3,000 grant, bringing the total grant allocation to RM90,000.

On top of that, Toyota Eco Youth 2026 is offering RM80,000 in prize money, which means the total programme funding this year stands at RM170,000, including grants.

The main prizes are as follows:

Champion: RM30,000
Second place: RM20,000
Third place: RM10,000

During the workshop, students and their teacher-advisors are given guidance on how to sharpen their project ideas, map out implementation plans and monitor progress. The aim here is fairly straightforward, students are expected to test their ideas in the real world, work as a team, and improve their projects through actual execution rather than theory alone.

Once the implementation phase is complete, schools will go through on-site evaluations and project progress reviews. From there, the top 15 schools will move on to the Toyota Eco Youth 2026 Convention and Exhibition, which is scheduled to take place from November 2 to 4, 2026. That final stage will determine the overall winners.

After 25 editions, TEY is no longer a new initiative or a one-off CSR talking point. It has become one of the more established student environmental programmes in Malaysia, with a format that gives participants funding, structure and a proper platform to develop ideas that can be carried through beyond the classroom.

More information on Toyota Eco Youth 2026 is available through Toyota Malaysia’s official website.

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