Soil in 1 minute: World Soil Day 2025 video contest
To celebrate World Soil Day (WSD) 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), its Global Soil Partnership (GSP), the European Union through its EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe,” and the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) launched the exciting “Soil in 1 Minute” video contest!
The contest called on scientists, designers, communicators, educators, and creative minds of all kinds to craft fun, inspiring explainer videos (no longer than one minute) designed for kids aged 8–15. Participants were asked to use simple language, drawings, models, animations, and even themselves to bring to life the message of why healthy urban soils were essential for healthy, thriving cities.
For more information about the contest, visit the official WSD website.
The winners will be announced on 5 December 2025 during the official WSD celebration.
These are the final 5 videos.
Thank you all for voting. The official vote closed at 14:00 Rome time (UTC+1), but you can still watch the finalist videos below.
Soil and the City
Creator(s) Daniel Park
Explores the vital role of soil in urban environments, illustrating how open, healthy soil acts as a sponge to prevent flooding.
Healthy soil for healthy people!
Creator(s)Super Soil (Han Fang Ning, Han Fang Xuan, Fang Shihan)
Presenters explain how the underground "superhero team" of bacteria and fungi helps plants absorb nutrients.
The importance of soil in one minute
Creator(s)BeAgro Team (Gabriel Ramos, Henzo Pingnatta, Isaac Bueno Biondaro, João Victor Pavaneli, Marcus Yoshio Miahira de Lima, Matheus Moreira Kungel, Pedro Lucas Barbosa Zamoro, Vitor Mottin Basso, Vitor Vitoriano, Vitor Faria)
Highlights how compacted soil leads to flooding, while caring for soil with vegetation increases water infiltration.
One Handful of Hope
Creator(s)Dr. Sabyasachi Majumdar, Mr. Aman Kumar, Dr. Laxmanarayanan Muruganantham, Prof. Dwipendra Thakuria
A cinematic narrative revealing that a single handful of soil holds more life than an entire city of people.
Healthy Soil, Healthy Cities
Creator(s)FIXTEC – UFPR (Luciana Grange, Marco Antônio, Bacellar Barreiros)
Contrasts impermeable "pan cities" with green "sponge cities," explaining how soil microorganisms clean pollution.
