Teens Win Prize for Microplastic-Removing Tamarind Powder

Why this is here: Microplastics, ranging from 1/1,000th the width of a human hair, have been found in locations as remote as the summit of Mount Everest and the Mariana Trench.

Three sixteen-year-olds from India—Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal, and Avyana Mehta—won the Asia Prize of The Earth Prize 2026 for their invention, Plas-Stick. The students developed a powder from tamarind seeds that clumps together microplastics in water. A simple magnet then removes the clumped particles.

The team created Plas-Stick after observing a lack of water filtration in rural communities. Roughly 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have safely managed drinking water. They aimed for a solution that didn’t require electricity or complicated systems, utilizing a widely available ingredient in South Asian cooking.

Each student will receive $125,000 to scale their invention. The Earth Foundation, based in Geneva, Switzerland, hopes to establish decentralized production hubs in India.

While effective at clumping microplastics, the long-term effects of tamarind exposure on drinking water still require study. The team plans to expand access to safer drinking water throughout the Indian subcontinent.