Youth Well-Being Prize Competitions

The Youth Well-Being Prize competition is currently open for applications. In 2022, USAID introduced its updated Youth in Development Policy, which places a strong emphasis on supporting young people as leaders and partners in addressing global challenges. This policy has three key objectives: increasing young people’s access to information, safe services, and opportunities for livelihood; ensuring that youth have the right to actively participate in decision-making processes; and empowering youth to have a stronger collective voice and receive better support from local and national systems.

The goal of the Youth Well-Being Prize Competition is to enhance young people’s access to information and encourage their involvement in creating awareness campaigns and informational resources related to issues affecting their well-being. If you’re a young individual aged 10 to 29 and have innovative ideas about how digital tools can be utilized to improve the well-being of other young people, or if you have creative concepts on how technology can be used to enhance young people’s knowledge about issues that impact them, then the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is interested in hearing from you. They are seeking inventive individuals with solutions to address critical well-being issues.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for the Youth Well-Being Prize, you need to meet the following criteria:

• You must be between the ages of 10 and 29, or you can represent a youth-led organization.
• You should have an idea for improving youth well-being in areas such as mental health, digital harm, safeguarding, gender-based violence, or climate change.
• This competition is open to participants from around the world (it’s a global call for solutions).
• You don’t need any prior professional or academic experience in any specific field or topic.
• Keep in mind that countries subject to OFAC sanctions are not eligible to receive prize money.
• The deadline for submitting entries is 11:59 PM ET on September 29, 2023. Ensure that your application complies with the provided guidelines.
• USAID employees, USAID contractors, Making Cents International staff, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.
• Participants are responsible for covering all costs associated with entering and participating in the prize, including transportation expenses.
• Your entries will be evaluated based on the publicly announced judging criteria. Participating in co-creation activities and related events is a requirement for entering the competition.
• The contact information you provide in your submission will be used to communicate with you about the prize. If you don’t respond within seven days, you may be disqualified, and another entry may be selected in your place.
• If you’re under 18, you are still eligible to participate, but you must submit your personal information with the permission of a parent or guardian who supports your participation in the prize.
• All the details you provide must meet the eligibility criteria and be accurate.
• Please ensure that your application aligns with these guidelines and criteria when applying for the Youth Well-Being Prize.

Benefits

The total prize pool for the competition amounts to $50,000. There will be prizes awarded in five different categories: digital harm, mental health, safeguarding, gender-based violence, and climate change, with a total of 15 prizes available. Here’s how the prizes are distributed:

Digital Harm:

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

Mental Health:

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

Safeguarding:

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

Gender-Based Violence:

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

Climate:

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

In each category, the first-place winner will receive $5,000, the second-place winner will receive $3,000, and the third-place winner will receive $2,000.

Application Process

• Applicants are required to submit their application form and a one-page entry statement by 5:00 PM ET on September 29, 2023.
• The entry statement should cover several key aspects, including describing the problem, presenting an overview of the innovation, identifying the target audience, and providing information about implementation and scalability.
• Each applicant is allowed to make only one submission per category. However, if a solution addresses multiple categories, it can be submitted in more than one.
• For the second round of the Youth Well-Being Prize Competition, a total of 50 applicants will be chosen, with ten selected in each of the five categories: mental health, digital harm, safeguarding, gender-based violence, and climate change.
• Second-round applicants must have a prototype or draft version of their innovation ready for the solution refinement phase. They will participate in virtual workshops to collaborate, receive feedback, and further develop their innovations.

Click here to apply.