World Bank Group/Wharton School Ideas for Action Competition 2017

Application Deadline:  28th February, 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Any

To be taken at (country): Any

Field/Level of Study: Any

About the Award: Ideas for Action, now hosting its third global competition, aims to provide young leaders with a unique opportunity to help shape the global development agenda.

Past winning proposals include a peer-to-peer hyper local approach to last-mile delivery in Nigeria, a mobile platform that allows users to inform themselves and alert others of traffic and security problems in real time, and a novel microinsurance product for remittance payments in India.

Selection/Eligibility Criteria:

• Teams must consist of two to six members and may be formed across different schools, institutions, companies, countries, nationalities etc.
• Students and young professionals between the ages 18 and 35 from around the world are invited participate. Youths between the ages of 14 to18 may participate in the high school initiative, Ideas for Action 14-18.
• Teams must register at www.ideas4action.org prior to submitting their proposal. Once registered, teams will receive additional materials to help them prepare their proposals.
• Submission requirements can be found on the website.

Number of Awardees: 10 teams

Value of Scholarship: Winners of the competition will

• Present their ideas at the IMF & World Bank Annual Meetings,
• Receive support from a dedicated startup accelerator at the Wharton School, and
• Benefit from unique networking opportunities with experts from international development, academia, and the private sector.

Duration of Scholarship: Ongoing

How to Apply: Register at www.ideas4action.org

Visit Program Webpage for Details

Award Provider: World Bank Group, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Important Notes: Teams are encouraged to submit an executive summary of their proposal by December 31, 2016. A jury will provide feedback that will help teams develop their full proposals by February 28, 2017. Alternatively, teams can elect to skip the executive summary stage and submit only a full proposal:

• Deadline for full proposal submissions: February 28, 2017
• Announcement of submissions selected for the final round: March 21, 2017
• Deadline for final submissions: April 17, 2017