Get the logbook
Each child receives a Grow Hope logbook to record their plant from day one.
Entries closed · Judging complete
Grow Hope 30-Day Challenge 2026
30 days. One plant. A whole lot of noticing.
Primary school children across Malaysia grew a plant at home and recorded what they saw, every day for 30 days. Entries are now closed. Thank you to every child, parent and teacher who took part.
What is the 30-Day Challenge?
The Grow Hope 30-Day Challenge asks one simple thing of a child: grow a plant, and pay attention to it. Every day for 30 days, children wrote and drew what they noticed in their Grow Hope logbook, with a parent by their side.
Along the way they measured, counted, compared and asked questions. That habit of careful noticing is what the challenge is really about.
WhoPrimary school students, at home with a parent
WhatGrow one plant and record it daily for 30 days
Approved bySports, Co-curriculum and Arts Division (BSKK), Ministry of Education Malaysia
How it works
Grow and observe
Every day for 30 days, children write and draw what they notice: size, colour, new leaves and problems.
Photograph three phases
Photos show the plant’s growth at the start, middle and end of the month.
Submit
Children submit the logbook, photos, a final project, a 10-question quiz and a short profile in their own words.
Where we are now
- ✓ DoneChallenge periodJune – October 2026
- ✓ DoneEntries closed1 Oct 2026
- ✓ DoneJudging6 Oct 2026
- ● NowWinners released11 Oct 2026
How entries were judged
Children who completed all 30 days are on the shortlist. Our panel scored each logbook together, and the Chief Judge signed off five winners: Champion, Runner-up, Third, Fourth and Fifth Place.
What counts
Noticing. Specific details, sizes and counts, changes from day to day, and what the child did when something went wrong.
What we look at
The 30-day logbook, drawings, Start, Middle and End photos, the final project, and each child's own story.
What doesn't count
Neat handwriting, spelling, the language used, the format of the final project, or whether the plant survived.
Meet the judges
A photographer, a farmer, an illustrator, a food sovereignty advocate and a children's author.
Chief Judge
David Lok
Kebun-Kebun Sungai Klang · Green Tree Plantation
Architectural and fine art photographer and Project Lead of Kebun-Kebun Sungai Klang. Co-founded Green Tree Plantation, which has planted about 10,000 trees, including endangered species, at Sungai Buaya.
Gideon Lim
Mr Jagung Merah
Founder of Mr Jagung Merah in Serdang, Malaysia's first MyOrganic-certified regenerative corn farm. Grows food with compost and companion planting, and teaches smallholders and students through Regenerative Agriculture Malaysia.
Mr Jagung Merah →
Chua Chinn Yin
Children's book illustrator
Illustrator and artist who sees art as a journey of self-discovery. Fond of soft watercolours, she also explores monoprinting, mixed media, collage and sculpture, creating meaning through every brushstroke.
chinnyinc →
Nurfitri Amir Muhammad
Forum Kedaulatan Makanan Malaysia
Head Coordinator of Forum Kedaulatan Makanan Malaysia, a microbiologist by training and working paddy farmer. Secretary of PeSAWAH, he champions small-scale farmers, agroecology and Malaysia's food sovereignty.
FKMM →
Abyan Junus-Nishizawa
Anak Rimba Books
Co-founder, storyteller and author of Anak Rimba Books ("Children of the Forest"), founded in 2017. The books put endangered Asian animals centre stage to raise a generation of nature lovers.
Anak Rimba Books →
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Results
Our winners have been announced! 🎉
Congratulations to our Top 5 winners! See who won, plus the judges’ reviews on what made these entries stand out.
Organised by
Dream True Empire (DTE) is an HRD Corp-certified corporate training and CSR provider. Through Grow Hope, DTE builds school gardens with corporate partners and runs the 30-Day Challenge for children across Malaysia.
Kiro Tan
Founder & Director, Dream True Empire
Founder and Director of Dream True Empire, leading Grow Hope and currently managing the Klang River microforest. Brings companies, schools and communities together to restore green spaces and get children growing.
Want your school in the next challenge?
Tell us your school's name and we'll be in touch when registration opens.