Tag Archives: international competitions

GENEVA GRADUATE INSTITUTE GLOBAL CHALLENGE

Application Deadline: 30 April 2025 at 23:59 CET.

LOCATION: Switzerland

Eager to stimulate reflection and innovation on development issues from diverse disciplinary and contextual perspectives and with the generous support of Ambassador Jenö Staehelin, the Graduate Institute launched the Advancing Development Goals Contest, an international competition for Master students.

The idea is to gather contributions that are both theoretically grounded and offer pragmatic solutions to a relevant international development problem stemming from an interdisciplinary collaboration between three to five enrolled master students from anywhere in the world.

ELIGIBILITY:

Five prizes will be distributed; one in each of the following categories (based on the UN Statistics list):

Universities located in Africa

Universities located in Asia

Universities located in Europe

Universities located in North America and Oceania

Universities located in Latin America

The confirmation documents (enrolment certificates or student cards) should contain your name, your graduate programme and a recent issuance date.

In case you do not have these documents at the time of your registration, please send them via email to geneva.challenge@graduateinstitute.ch.

Following the registration, you have eleven weeks to prepare you proposal, which is due by the submission deadline.

Please make sure that you submit a proof of enrolment as a Master’s student for each team member (the document should contain your name, your graduate programme, and a recent issuance date) when you submit the form. However, you can also send the proof to geneva.challenge@graduateinstitute.ch before the deadline on 30 April 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Following the registration, you have eleven weeks to prepare your proposal, which is to be submitted as a PDF through a form, which will be made available upon registration. You will find more information on the format of the submission in the rules and regulations of the contest on the website.

Should you have any questions about the contest or registering, do not hesitate to contact us via

BENEFIT:

The ADG contest distributes 25,000 CHF in monetary prizes. The winning project will be awarded CHF 10,000; the two teams in second place will receive CHF 5,000 each and the two teams in third place, CHF 2,500 each.

APPLY

2026 ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE IN THE UAE 

Application Deadline: 23 June 2025

LOCATION: UAE

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE’s pioneering global award that recognises and rewards small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations (NPOs), and global high schools with impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions.

ELIGIBILITY:

Program Categories:

Health: Improving Healthcare Access

Food: Combating Food Insecurity

Energy: Powering Communities

Water: Supply of Safe Drinking Water

Climate Action: Advancing Climate Migration and Adaptation

Global High Schools: Inspiring Youth Leadership

Candidates from the following regions can apply: The Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & North Africa, Europe & Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia & Pacific

Innovation (40%):

Solution must be novel or significantly improve existing solutions.

Demonstrate a unique value proposition.

Exhibit technical and commercial viability.

Show evidence of potential or actual market adoption.

Impact (30%):

Demonstrate a clear positive impact on quality of life.

Address significant social, economic, technological, or environmental challenges.

Exhibit organizational resilience to potential challenges.

Demonstrate good governance and skilled personnel.

Implement fair policies.

Provide a detailed plan for effective use of prize funds.

Inspiration (30%):

Embody core values of sustainability and human development.

Reflect the legacy of Sheikh Zayed.

Inspire further sustainable and human development actions.

Influence community adoption of sustainable behaviors.

BENEFIT:

The total prize fund of US$ 5.9 million is distributed amongst six categories:

Health: US $1,000,000

Food: US $1,000,000

Energy: US $1,000,000

Water: US $1,000,000

Climate Action: US $1,000,000

Global High Schools: US $900,000, with up to US $150,000 awarded to one school from each of the six global regions.

Airfare Tickets

Accommodation

Ground Transport

No Application Fees

APPLY