Everything to Know About Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award and How to Apply
The award, including $250,000 in funding, will honour a young person working to end extreme poverty.
Applications are now open for the 2023 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award. Find out more and apply here.
Criteria
Demonstrated track-record of measurable impact at scale over the last 3-5 years advancing one or more of the Global Goals
If the last two years have shown us anything, it’s that young people are the influential, resilient, determined spirits that the world needs right now to defeat poverty, demand equity, and defend the planet.
They’ve shown up in numbers to call for climate policy change, they’ve defended their communities against destructive inequalities; they’ve opened society’s eyes to what matters most and have helped highlight what needs to be done to end extreme poverty.
Actress and UNICEF ambassador Millie Bobby Brown hit the nail on the head when she said: “Young people don’t want to be talked about. We want to do the talking.” They are the leaders of the future and as such, they need to be listened to and supported.
The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award, launched by Cisco and Global Citizen in 2018, was established to recognize and lift up a young person who is positively impacting the world, and as a way to demonstrate the significance that young people have in achieving the United Nations’ Global Goals.
Whether they are helping schoolchildren in Kenya get healthy meals, ensuring children in India get the health care access they need, or providing communities across Rwanda and neighbouring regions with clean water, previous award winners have proven that innovation and dedication can lead to dramatic change for a better future.
We’re thrilled to announce that applications for the fourth annual Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award are now open, with the application period ending Jan, 2023.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Cisco Youth Leadership Award and how you can apply.
What Is the Cisco Youth Leadership Award?
The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award is an annual award, presented for the first time in 2018, which honours a young change-maker helping to create a better world for all.
It is awarded in partnership with the technology company Cisco, a global partner of Global Citizen, and recognizes an individual between the ages of 18 and 30 who has taken an innovative approach to solving problems, and who has made a meaningful difference towards the goal of ending poverty in their community.
The prize includes a $250,000 award paid to the organization to which the individual contributes.
How Is the Winner Selected?
Although the prize money is paid to the organization to which the winner contributes, applicants must apply as an individual.
The winner of the 2022 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award will be someone who can demonstrate measurable impact of their work over the last three to five years, and who has advanced one or more of the UN’s Global Goals. Applicants are judged holistically by their application materials and supporting documents against five equally weighted criteria:
Impact: Demonstrated track-record of measurable impact at scale over the last 3-5 years advancing one or more of the Global Goals.
Vision: Compelling vision and concrete plans for how to extend this work in the next 3-5 years, including how the prize will advance efforts.
Catalyst: Inspires other young people to have an impact on achieving one or more of the Global Goals.
Global Citizenship: Demonstrates the values and embodies the spirit of a Global Citizen and global problem solver.
Technical Innovation: Innovates with technology or internet-based communications to improve efficiency, reach, and magnify impact.
What’s Needed for the Application?
There are five parts to the application:
An “About You” section containing basic personal and organizational information;
Your pitch on why you should be awarded the prize in a 2- to 3-minute video, including how you are working towards achieving one or more Global Goals;
Short written answers to three questions about your work;
An outline of how your work aligns with the judging criteria — impact, vision, catalyst, global citizenship, and technology innovation — in 250 words or less for each criteria;
Additional information about your organization, including proof of its registration
You don’t have to be a founder or CEO of an organization to apply. The Cisco Youth Leadership Award can go to anyone who has had an impact; it is all about showing leadership, dedication, and innovation.
More details on exactly how the application process works and the judging criteria can be found on the application page here. You can also read more about previous winners and their work, including Christelle Kwizera here, Priya Prakash here, and Wawira Njiru here; as well as their answers to Global Citizens’ biggest questions about the Cisco Youth Leadership Award here.
The official application link Global Citizens
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