Young Environmentalist of the Year Award (YEYA) is an national level award given by National Museum of Natural Museum (NMNH) (Ministry of Environment and Forests) every year to the best-performing teenager in the of age group of 13 - 16 years on the occasion of its Foundation Day on 5th June, coinciding with World Environment Day. The aim of the award is to create awareness among teenagers to observe and understand nature and to encourage them to play an important role in conserving nature and wildlife.  

This award was launched on 5th June, 1999, at a function held in Vigyan Bhawan by the then Honourable Prime Minister of India Sri Atal Bihari Bajpai.  

This year Ishita Vishnoi won the “Young Environmentalist of the Year Award - 2010” for showing best performance in the National Level Written Quiz Contest conducted by National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi.

Ishita Vishnoi participated in a number of programs on environment and she says that these have enhanced her outlook towards a better ecosystem. She also participated in the Summer Programme at NMNH and won prizes in declamation and nature photography. She says, “I took it in the right spirit of learning and benefited a lot thereby increasing my understanding about the environment, including its present frightening conditions of flora and fauna & this arouse my concern, which I believe is essential to become a responsive citizen in modern times.”                                      June 2010

Source: PIB