Call for Applications: Wege Prize 2026 for Innovators ($65,000 total prize) – YOA

Deadline: October 5, 2025

Applications are open for the Wege Prize 2026. Wege Prize is an annual competitors that ignites recreation-altering options for the longer term by inspiring faculty/college college students world wide to collaborate throughout institutional, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries to revamp the best way economies work.

Participants contend for $65,000USD in total money prizes with progressive options which are powered by human-centered design, underpinned by a shift to renewable vitality, and constructed on the three core ideas of the round economic system. 

The Challenge

Over the course of 9 months, Wege Prize groups will compete to advance by means of as much as 4 distinct phases of competitors, rising their concepts from a preliminary proposal into a sturdy and possible resolution knowledgeable by analysis, market evaluation, and actual-world prototyping and testing. Each step of the best way, they are going to be guided by direct suggestions from a panel of knowledgeable judges who will assist them strengthen their concepts, push the boundaries of risk, and help bringing their plans into fruition.

Broadly talking, the problem of Wege Prize is to:

• Build a robust and numerous staff: Teams with the best disciplinary and institutional range will doubtless have the next chance of success.
• Identify a “wicked” downside to deal with: A “wicked” downside is extremely advanced downside that entails a number of stakeholder teams and is particularly immune to decision. Efforts to resolve one side of the issue usually reveal or create different obstacles that should be addressed as effectively.
• Develop a compelling round resolution: Whether they take the type of a product, service, enterprise, or one thing else, options needs to be pushed by the three core ideas of the round economic system.

Prizes

• 1st Place: $30,000 (USD)
• 2nd Place: $20,000 (USD)
• third Place: $10,000 (USD)
• Finalist Award (x2): $2,500 (USD)

Eligibility

Teams

To be eligible to take part in Wege Prize, groups should:

• Have precisely 5 (5) members (no extra, no much less)
• Represent at the very least three (3) completely different educational disciplines (by way of every participant’s present program of study–beforehand accomplished diploma packages will not be thought-about)
• Represent at the very least two (2) completely different establishments of upper schooling* (faculties, universities, or separate faculties/faculties inside a bigger college) *For occasion, a staff member from Example University’s School of Engineering and a staff member from Example University’s School of Earth Sciences can be thought-about as representing two completely different establishments

Individuals

To be eligible to hitch a Wege Prize staff, people should:

• Be at the moment enrolled in a undergraduate, graduate, or put up-graduate diploma program program at a school, college, or equal establishment of upper schooling wherever on the planet. (Teams could be composed of a mixture of undergraduate, graduate, and put up-graduate college students in the event that they so select.)
• Be enrolled as a full-time (or equal) scholar for the period of the competitors. (If you’re graduating earlier than May of 2026, you should be enrolled as a scholar by means of at the very least December 15, 2025.

Application

Participants should apply as a staff of 5, and should meet the aforementioned staff participation necessities.

Click here to apply

For extra info, go to Wege Prize.