Deadline: 25-Jul-25
The ChallengeUS is thrilled to invite applications for its Future Leaders Competition to critically engage and amplify youth voices from all over the world in civic ideas and challenges.
The competition seeks to find, spotlight and reward promising future leaders through scholarship prizes and award recognition. For this summer cycle, the competition is asking students to envision their future and what they hope their country accomplishes by the year 2050.
Participation in the ChallengeUS Future Leaders Competition offers the opportunity to join the ChallengeUS Future Leaders Network (global community of young changemakers), secure cash prizes that can be put towards educational and professional pursuits, and gain public recognition for exceptional work.
Categories
- Creative Writing: Entries might include personal narratives, reflections, stories, poems, written speeches, memoirs, and other personal essays that address the prompt while showcasing the writer’s critical thinking, personal expression, and storytelling abilities.
- Analytical Writing: Entries might include argumentative essays, research papers, literature reviews, case studies, and other forms of academic writing that uses sources and citations to drive key insights. Submissions are expected to present well-researched, evidence-based essays that address the prompt.
- Speech: Entries might include any form of verbal speech or presentation submitted in a video form. Speakers are welcomed to use creative and/or analytical techniques in their speech submission.
Prize Information
- One overall First Place winner will be recognized along with three “Best in Class” honorable mentions (one from each submission category). This means 4 students, in total, will be recognized.
- The overall First Place winner will be awarded $500 (USD)
- The overall First Place winner and the 3 “Best in Class” honorable mentions will be spotlighted in a biographical article by ChallengeUS
- The overall First Place Winner and the 3 “Best in Class” honorable mentions will receive a Certificate of Achievement and their submissions will be published by ChallengeUS
- All participants will gain access to the global ChallengeUS Future Leaders Network
Eligibility Criteria
- Any student, residing in any country, currently enrolled in an accredited high school or undergraduate college/university, is eligible to participate
- Students taking academic gap years or semesters are also eligible
- Students that are homeschooled are also eligible
- Submissions (speech or writing) must be in English
- Participants from previous competition cycles are eligible to enter the current competition cycle, except those that won first place in any previous ChallengeUS competitions
- Any use of AI or plagiarism is strictly prohibited and will result in automatic disqualification.
Application Requirements
- Creative Writing Guidelines:
- Word Limit: 1250 words
- Writing submissions should be in PDF format with a readable font size (11 or 12 pt.) and a professional font style (Times New Roman, Arial)
- Entries might include personal narratives, reflections, stories, poems, written speeches, memoirs, and other personal essays that address the prompt while showcasing the writer’s critical thinking, personal expression, and storytelling abilities
- Analytical Writing Guidelines:
- Word Limit: 1250 words
- Writing submissions should be in PDF format with a readable font size (11 or 12 pt.) and a professional font style (Times New Roman, Arial)
- If research is incorporated, any citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) will be accepted and citations will not count towards the word limit
- Entries might include argumentative essays, research papers, literature reviews, case studies, and other forms of academic writing that use sources and citations to drive key insights
- Speech Guidelines:
- Speech Limit: 10 minutes
- Speech submissions should be in MP4 format
- High audio and video quality is expected
- Entries might include any form of verbal speech or presentation submitted in a video form. Visual aids are permitted but speech quality will be the foremost evaluation criteria.
For more information, visit ChallengeUS.