PETALING JAYA: Malaysian student Max Han Kai Ding has been named a top-10 finalist for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2024.
The 23-year-old environmental studies student from Yale-NUS College in Singapore is now one step closer to the US$100,000 (RM433,200) award.
Max was recognised for co-founding Youths United For Earth (YUFE) – a nonprofit that mobilises youth for environmental action through storytelling, campaigns and advocacy.
"This came as a pleasant surprise, and I’m very proud that our local youth climate movement in Malaysia is being recognised internationally.
The honour includes my youth-led team at YUFE and all the community partners we work with," Max said when contacted by The Star.
If he wins, Max plans to invest the prize money into YUFE and upscale its impact in more states in Malaysia, and eventually Southeast Asia.
He also hopes to distribute funds and support the work of grassroots advocacy groups and environmental human rights defenders if he wins the prize money.
Max is the sole Malaysian finalist in the running for the student award given annually to exceptional students who made a huge impact on their peers and the society.
He was selected from over 11,000 nominations and applications from 176 countries around the world.
Chegg chief communications officer Heather Hatlo Porter congratulated Max for being shortlisted among the top 10 finalists.
“This honour not only reflects your outstanding achievements but also stands as a testament to the brighter future you’re actively shaping for all of us, day by day.
"Now, more than ever, students like Max deserve recognition, as their dreams, creativity, and remarkable endeavours are essential to tackling the urgent challenges facing our world,” she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Varkey Foundation founder Sunny Varkey said in a statement that Max's story is a compelling reminder of how crucial education is in creating a brighter and more inclusive future for all people.
Over the past four years, Max has connected many students with environmental leaders and reached 50,000 people through campaigns with other local nonprofit organisations (NGOs).
He is also involved in drafting SEA’s first-ever regional environmental rights declaration with diplomats, United Nations (UN) bodies, and civil society.
The winner of the Global Student Prize is expected to be announced in New York later this month, during UN General Assembly week.
