Submissions are now open for the Advancing Development Goals International Contest for Master Students 2023. International applicants can apply to participate in the Geneva Challenge 2023: The Challenges of Loneliness. The 2023 Contest for Graduate Students’ primary aim is to present innovative and pragmatic solutions to address the challenges of loneliness.

Contestants in groups of 3 – 5 master students, including at least two different disciplinary backgrounds or an interdisciplinary perspective, can submit contributions. Contributions should offer theoretical and pragmatic solutions towards a relevant social, economic, or political problem originating from the Challenges of Loneliness. Innovation can relate to practices, processes, or technology. Winning teams will receive an invitation to Geneva on a funded trip to pitch their ideas orally and get prizes.

About the Contest and Geneva Challenge

The Geneva Challenge takes place yearly for graduate students to participate in the international contest. Students are providing the most innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues with a defined theme of the year.

The Geneva institute established Advancing Development Goals International Contest for Master Students to inspire reflection and innovation on the development of different disciplines with the support of Ambassador Jeno Steahelin.

Important Details

Organizer: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (GIIDS)

Awarding Ceremony Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Number of Prizes: Five (5)

Eligible Country: All based on the UN Statistics List

Gender: Male/Female

Funding Type: Fully-funded

Eligible Target Group: Master’s Degree Students

The Theme of the Year: The Challenges of Loneliness

Important Dates

Start for Registering Team: 01 February 2023

Registration Deadline: 23 April 2023

Submission Deadline: 14 July 2023 (midnight CET)

Awarding Ceremony: November 2023

The Advancing Development Goals International Contest Prize and Benefits

Five prizes, one per continent, are available for five finalists as follows:

• The winning project will receive CHF 10,000;
• The second-place winner will be two teams and will receive CHF 5000 each;
• The third-place winner will be two teams and will receive CHF 2500 each;
• Publication and promotion of shortlisted submissions on the Geneva Challenge website, providing visibility to the teams and their work;
• All members of the five finalist teams will receive an invitation for an oral presentation in Geneva, where they will defend their proposals and answer questions from the Jury and the public;
• A chance to participate in the Award Ceremony in Geneva;
• Traveling cost to Geneva;
• Visa expenses for the trip;
• Accommodation expenses of winning teams

Eligibilities for the Advancing Development Goals International Contest

All contestants and their submissions should meet the following criteria:

• The applicant must have graduated with a bachelor’s degree and enrolled in a master’s degree at the time of registration.
• Each team should contain 3 to 5 graduate students from at least two different disciplinary academic backgrounds.
• Individual participants will not be accepted.
• The category of competition to choose from is optional.
• All team members should submit a document confirming their graduate status before registration of the team.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Evaluation Criteria

The Academic Steering Committee (ASC) and a committee of professors will evaluate all submissions against the following criteria:

• The relevance of the research questions
• Analytical rigor of the solutions
• Practicality of solutions
• The originality of the project
• Outreach of solutions

Selection Process

Two panels will evaluate and check the submissions for Advancing Development Goals International Contest in three phases as follows:

• First Phase: The Academic Steering Committee (ASC) and a committee of professors who will check the compatibility of the submissions with the material criteria of the contest;
• Second Phase or Semi-finalist: In this phase, the ASC will select three (3) submissions per continent. If the submissions match the contest’s design and criteria, the ASC will forward them to an independent high-level Jury Panel. The panel comprises policymakers, experienced professionals, academics, and young talents who will select the competition’s finalists.
• Third Phase or Finalist: In the last phase of evaluations, the organizer will invite one finalist per continent to the Graduate Institute in Geneva. In this phase, the finalists will publicly present their entries in front of the Jury Panel. Furthermore, they will answer questions about their entries. On this occasion, the Jury Panel will categorize the five teams into one first position, two-second positions, and two third position holders. Finally, the winners will receive prizes in an award ceremony led by a high-level keynote speech.

How to Register a Team?

To register a team for the Advancing Development Goals International Contest, the leading contestant should follow these instructions:

• Fill out an online registration form from 01 February 2023 to 23 April 2023 at midnight CET.
• Each group selects a team leader as a focal point for communication with the organization of the contest.
• Submit the proof of enrolment for all the team members before the registration deadline to: challenge@graduateinstitute.ch

How to Apply for the Advancing Development Goals International Contest?

• Applicants should submit an abstract and a project by email to: challenge@graduateinstitute.ch before 14 July 2023 at midnight (CET);
• The abstract must not exceed one page in length. Furthermore, it must contain short biographies of each team member, a short explanation of the problem addressed by the project, and the solution for the problem. Additionally, applicants should specify how the proposed solution will make a difference.
• The project must be in English or French and should not exceed 8000 words excluding all notes, graphics, and references.
• Contestants’ submissions should combine creativity, theoretical analyses, capacity building, critical thinking on technical assistance, and the development agency.

Note: All entries should be original and without any plagiarism. Entries will go through a check for plagiarism before being submitted to the Jury members as semi-finalists of the 2023 Geneva Challenge.

For detailed information about the Advancing Development Goals International Contest, please visit the official website of the Graduate Institute or read the Rules and Regulations of the Contest.

Check More Similar Opportunities:

Global Student Prize for Extraordinary Students ($100,000 Prize)

STARTS Prize for Arts-Stimulated Innovation in Technology Industry and Society (€20,000)