Southwest Winner

Ish
Liberty High School
Collin County, TX

Student Design
EcoFlow addresses menstrual waste polluting Frisco’s waterways and landfills, impacting our community’s environment. This biodegradable tampon applicator is made from compressed seaweed bioplastic with a water-based lubricant coating. The ribbed grip and rounded tip maintain familiar handling while decomposing in 6-7 days after flushing, versus 500 years for plastic. Paired with organic cotton, it eliminates plastic waste, and EcoFlow adapts existing dispensers with sustainable alternatives, offering nationwide scalability for 100+ million daily tampon users.

Design from the Community
This basket contains free menstrual products in Frisco ISD school bathrooms, providing tampons and pads to students. It represents our community’s commitment to health equity and dignity, ensuring no student misses class due to a lack of access. However, the plastic applicators create environmental waste in local waterways and landfills.