OPNY COMPETITION
Our Planet Needs You is a friendly, annual competition between schools challenging students, staff and families to see who can make the biggest positive impact on the planet – from reducing waste and carbon emissions to improving biodiversity and inspiring greener choices.
During our pilot year, eight primary schools took part, supported by two secondary schools, whose Youth Leads helped coordinate activities including litter picks and school surveys, while also helping us measure the impact of the programme.
And the winning school was… St John XXIII Catholic Primary School in White City!
Pictured opposite is Mrs Finn, Headteacher of St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, our OPNY 2026 Champions, proudly holding the trophies after the school topped the leaderboard across three categories as well as the overall competition.
2026 Primary School Leaderboard
St John XXIII Catholic Primary School were Top of the Leaderboard
for 2026…
Scoring 544 points
Making them the overall WINNERS plus top of the leaderboard for the Anti-Litter Bugs & Bloom Team challenges.
See the reaction to the winners announcement on Instagram…
St John XXIII Catholic primary school is based in the heart of the White City – the very place where Our Planet Needs You was born. So it feels especially special to see a local school take the top spot in our very first year!
A huge congratulations to Mrs Finn, Year 6 teachers Miss Finnerty and Miss Cahill, and all the Year 6 pupils, who did an incredible job taking on the OPNY challenges and racking up points throughout the year.
And a massive well done to everyone at St John XXIII for getting involved with such enthusiasm, working together and turning climate action into positive change across the school.
What an achievement! 🏆
Congratulations also to St Stephen’s CE Primary School, who came second, and Wendell Park Primary School, who took third place. And, of course, a huge well done to all the schools, teachers and students who took part in our pilot year.
Your energy, teamwork and commitment have been fantastic, and we couldn’t be prouder of everything the OPNY community has achieved so far.
This year, the competition is opening up to even more schools across London (including secondary schools) giving thousands more students the opportunity to take action, lead change and make a measurable difference in their own communities.
Working together is the key to success, because none of us is as powerful as all of us!