A compostable fabric made from kelp. A portable eyeglass-making kit. A solar-powered device for processing millet, a staple food in sub-Saharan Africa.

These are the winning ideas announced this week in National Geographic's CHASING GENIUS challenge, along with a People's Choice winner who uses data to help small farmers in India.

The challenge, which National Geographic established as part of a partnership with GSK Consumer Healthcare, attracted thousands of people who shared world-changing ideas across three areas: building a more sustainable planet, improving global health, and feeding an eventual population of nine billion.

"I was absolutely in awe of the submissions we received for the competition," says Jay Shetty, a storyteller, filmmaker, and former monk who was on the judging panel as a