2026 Middle School Winners

Kiera Sala is in the 7th grade at the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. She was searching for opportunities to advocate about important global issues when she found the World of 8 Billion student video contest. The contest drew her interest because it not only addresses global issues but also connects them to population growth. She was drawn to the topic of energy because she wanted to raise awareness about access issues and was shocked that 660 million people lack basic access to it. Her family is originally from the Philippines, and while visiting Manila, the capital, she always noticed the contrast between the two sides of the highway as she rode in the car. On one side, people lacked access to energy; on the other, the skyscrapers indicate a vast difference in affluence and energy use. She thinks microgrids could be a good, cost-effective solution to expand energy access globally.

Kiera has created videos before, but this is the first time she has produced a video that is only one minute long. She used iMovie, which she hadn’t used in a while, so she needed to relearn the basics. She also used a teleprompter and a voice recording app during filming. Her biggest challenge was putting all the information into a concise but detailed script. She had to trim a four-minute script down to one minute. Though scriptwriting was the hardest part, Kiera also said it was her favorite. “There is a lot of freedom in this contest, and I entered a flow state of writing, and really enjoyed it.” Her advice to future participants is to start early, choose a topic that resonates with you, and be careful with your use of Artificial Intelligence. She noted that “if you want a dramatic and flowy script, don’t use AI, use your own voice.”

Kiera has participated in many speech and video competitions in the past. She is interested in continuing to raise awareness of energy access solutions at this year’s WeVoi competition summit, where she has previously received two gold and one silver achievement certificates. She participated in Oxford Model UN at Oxford University, where she represented Lithuania on the COP30 Committee, addressing deforestation and climate change. She also submitted an entry to the Leader in Me student video contest this year. Through these opportunities, she has made so many connections and learned a lot about the planet. A nature lover at heart, she has “always been passionate about giving a voice to animals and plants that don’t have a voice.” In her free time, she loves to ski, though she doesn’t get to do it as much as she would like. She would like to pursue a career in medicine and is interested in neuroscience.