Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest 2026 – YOA

Deadline: November 1, 2026

Applications are open for the Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest 2026. Make your voice heard this fall by writing a letter to an area elected consultant that explains the worldwide challenge you need them to prioritize, exhibits the way it connects to your local people, and proposes an answer. Through this contest, college students can apply international citizenship, civic motion, and persuasive writing, all whereas exploring the underreported points that matter to them by Pulitzer Center information tales.

The Pulitzer Center needs to learn and share your letters: inform them, and the world, what’s most necessary to you. 

Prizes

They will choose one first place winner and as much as 4 finalists for every challenge class. First place winners will obtain:

• $300 to help international neighborhood engagement in your classroom (prize distributed to your class instructor)
• Publication of your letter, picture, and bio on the Pulitzer Center web site

Finalists will obtain:

• $75 to help international neighborhood engagement in your classroom (prize distributed to your class instructor)
• Publication of your letter, picture, and bio on the Pulitzer Center web site

All entrants will likely be invited to take part in a Pulitzer Center city corridor occasion, held just about in November, to share their options with different college students from around the globe.

Eligibility

• They welcome entries from all present Okay-12 college students throughout the globe. Letters could also be written in English and/or Spanish.
• Letters ought to handle a subject inside one of many Pulitzer Center’s 5 focus points:
  • Climate and Environment (Includes local weather change, air pollution, extractive industries, and extra)
  • Global Health (Includes well being inequities, meals safety, psychological well being, water and sanitation, and extra)
  • Human Rights (Includes racial justice, gender equality, migration and refugees, Indigenous rights, and extra)
  • Information and Artificial Intelligence (Includes know-how and society, misinformation, and extra)
  • Peace and Conflict (Includes battle, battle, and peacebuilding efforts)

Application

• Go to the Suggested Stories tab above and select a narrative that offers you new details about a difficulty that issues to you. (All eligible tales can be found here)
• Write a one-web page letter to an area decisionmaker that solutions the next questions:
  • What challenge would you like the native decisionmaker to handle?
  • Why is that this challenge necessary globally? (Remember to quote proof from the Pulitzer Center-supported story! You are inspired to quote extra sources all through your letter, too.)
  • Why is that this challenge necessary to your local people, and/or to you personally?
  • Why are you writing to this individual? What energy and/or duty have they got?
  • What would you like this individual to do? Offer an answer, and cite proof that your answer will likely be efficient.
• You should not have to reply the questions on this order, however your letter ought to reply all 5 questions. For help writing your letter, use this graphic organizer, or see the Resources for Teachers and Students tab above.
• Submit your letter using the contest entry form. It will request some fundamental private and call info; the title and call info for certainly one of your lecturers; and you’ll copy/paste your letter straight into the shape.
• After submitting your letter to the Pulitzer Center, think about mailing or emailing your letter to the decisionmaker straight.

For extra info, go to Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest.