ITANAGAR, Oct 31: Two Class IX students of Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya (VKV), Nirjuli, have brought laurels to Arunachal Pradesh by winning the Eastern Zone round of WWF-India’s Wild Wisdom Global Challenge (WWGC) 2026 held at Kolkata on October 30.
The winning team, comprising Techi Ajum and Techi Sami, secured the first position at the zonal competition held at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, earning a place in the national-level contest scheduled tentatively for November in New Delhi.
Representing the North-East, the duo finished ahead of teams from Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and West Bengal. Atomic Energy School, Jharkhand, secured the second position, followed by PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Boudh (Odisha), in third place. Sainik School, Goalpara (Assam), and PM SHRI KV, Salt Lake (West Bengal), secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
The students qualified for the zonal round after clearing the virtual classroom and state-level stages of the competition. The 2026 edition focuses on marine ecosystems under the theme “From the Coastline to the Seafloor: An Ocean Odyssey”, testing participants’ knowledge of ocean biodiversity, marine life, conservation and human interaction with the oceans.
The Wild Wisdom Global Challenge is WWF-India’s flagship wildlife and environmental education quiz for school students. Launched in 2008 as the Wild Wisdom Quiz, the initiative was expanded into a global challenge in 2021.
The students received guidance and encouragement from Archita Baruah Bhattacharyya, State Director of WWF-India’s Assam and Arunachal Pradesh State Office.
The duo will now represent the Eastern Zone at the national competition, where zonal champions from across the country will vie for the national title. The national winners are expected to advance to the international finale in December.
VKV Nirjuli has congratulated the students on their achievement and wished them success in the national-level competition.