Wege Prize

Wege Prize is an annual competition that inspires college and university students worldwide to collaborate across institutional, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries to redesign the way economies work. Participants compete for $65,000 USD in total cash prizes by proposing innovative solutions powered by human-centered design, renewable energy, and the principles of the circular economy.

📖 About Wege Prize

Opportunity Details

• Date Published: August 15, 2025
• Application Deadline: October 5, 2025
• Category: Contest

🏆 Benefits of Wege Prize

Participants have the chance to win the following cash prizes:

• 1st Place: $30,000 USD
• 2nd Place: $20,000 USD
• 3rd Place: $10,000 USD
• Finalist Award (×2): $2,500 USD

🎯 The Challenge

Over nine months, teams will advance through up to four distinct phases of competition, transforming their preliminary proposals into robust, feasible solutions informed by research, market analysis, and real-world prototyping. Teams will receive direct feedback from expert judges to strengthen their ideas and push the limits of possibility.

Broad Objectives:

• Build a strong and diverse team: Teams with greater disciplinary and institutional diversity are more likely to succeed.
• Identify a "wicked" problem: A wicked problem is highly complex, involving multiple stakeholders and resistant to resolution.
• Develop a compelling circular solution: Solutions should align with the three core principles of the circular economy.

✅ Wege Prize Requirements

Teams

To participate, teams must:

• Have exactly five (5) members.
• Represent at least three (3) different academic disciplines (based on current programs of study).
• Represent at least two (2) different institutions of higher education (e.g., colleges, universities, or separate schools within a larger university).

Individuals

To join a Wege Prize team, individuals must:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate degree program at a college, university, or equivalent institution anywhere in the world.
• Be enrolled as a full-time student (or equivalent) for the duration of the competition. Graduating students must be enrolled through at least December 15, 2025.

📝 Application Process

Planning Ahead: Team Application Checklist

1. Verify that your team meets the individual and team participation requirements.

2. Review the Wege Prize 2026 Design Brief.

3. Gather the following information from all team members:

   • Legal name
   • Preferred name
   • Email address
   • Country of citizenship
   • Current country of residence
   • College/university currently attending
   • Major of study, degree type, and student status
   • Headshot (selfies or phone pictures are acceptable)

4. Prepare answers to the following questions:

   • Explain the wicked problem your team is addressing (3-5 sentences).
   • Describe the systemic nature of the problem (500 words maximum).
   • How could addressing this problem support the circular economy? (500 words maximum).
   • Identify key stakeholders and explain how you would engage them (500 words maximum).
   • Outline plans to involve mentors or subject matter experts (500 words maximum).
   • Discuss how addressing the problem supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (choose 1-3 goals; 500 words maximum).
   • Detail your next steps (500 words maximum).

If you have questions, email wicked@wegeprize.org.

📅 Application Deadline

October 5, 2025

🌐 Application Portal

• View details of Wege Prize.
• Apply for Wege Prize.

For more information, visit the official Wege Prize website. Good luck! 🚀

• 1st Place: $30,000 (USD)
• 2nd Place: $20,000 (USD)
• 3rd Place: $10,000 (USD)
• Finalist Award (×2): $2,500 (USD)