$5,000 Prize Pool for Essay Competition | WUIN

Application Deadline: 14 June, 2026

Prizes and Benefits:

Cash prize
One-year ASAP fellowship with mentoring, internship, and networking opportunities (Optional)
Presentation of winning essays at the next Yale Global Justice Program conference

Essay Length: 4,000-8,000 words

Essay Themes

Climate change resilience: e.g., Developing policy frameworks to ensure equitable access to climate adaptation technologies for vulnerable African communities.
Economic empowerment: e.g., Designing microfinance models that address regulatory capture and promote democratic economic participation in rural areas.
Healthcare system: e.g., Proposing reforms to intellectual property laws to improve access to essential medicines in underserved African regions.
Education: e.g., Creating programs to educate youth on global governance structures and encourage civic engagement in international policy-making.
Digital transformation: e.g., Analyzing the impact of trade agreements on digital inclusion and proposing more balanced policies for technology transfer to African nations.
Gender equality: e.g., Researching the effects of austerity measures on women’s economic participation and advocating for gender-responsive economic policies.
Peace and security: e.g., Developing strategies to address forced migration and statelessness as drivers of conflict in African regions.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Open to citizens of African countries

HOW TO APPLY

Submit essays to mandelaprize@academicsstand.org

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Joint submissions by two eligible authors are accepted
Include university or organization affiliation and essay title in the email
Ensure the essay is anonymized for blind review

This competition offers a unique opportunity for young African thinkers to contribute to global efforts on poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and economic progress. We encourage all eligible scholars to participate and share their innovative ideas for addressing Africa’s most pressing challenges in the global context.

About ASAP

Academics Stand Against Poverty is an international community of scholars and researchers confronting the rules and practices that perpetuate global poverty.

About Taskrika

Taskrika is a decentralised advertising platform designed to help businesses connect directly with real people, aiming to eliminate bot traffic and ad fraud in digital marketing. It functions as a platform where brands can have their stories seen, heard, and engaged with by actual users who are incentivised for their participation.

WUIN is Taskrika’s human capital development directory, where you can find information on funding opportunities in different sectors, from education, careers, entrepreneurship, technology, personal development, and more.