If you care about global issues and want a competition that goes well beyond a standard essay contest, the World Food Prize Foundation's Global Challenge is worth your attention. It's one of the few high school programs that asks you to research a real-world problem, propose a concrete solution, and then present it to an actual audience of experts. Here's everything you need to know.

What Is the Global Challenge?

The Global Challenge is a research paper competition for high school students, run by the World Food Prize Foundation — the organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, who is credited with saving over a billion people from famine. The Foundation's mission is to inspire action on global food security, and the Global Challenge is their flagship youth program.

To participate, you write a three-to-five page research paper (1,500–2,500 words) focused on a country of your choosing and a food security-related topic relevant to that country. You then present your research at a Youth Institute — a one-to-two day academic event hosted at major agricultural universities across the U.S. and internationally, including sites in Honduras, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Uganda.

Over 1,500 students participate each year, and more than 10,000 students have completed the program since its founding.

Who Should Apply?

This competition is a strong fit for students who:

• Have a genuine interest in global issues, international relations, agriculture, public health, or environmental policy
• Are looking for a substantive research writing experience to strengthen their college application narrative
• Want to develop public speaking and presentation skills in a professional setting
• Are interested in careers in science, policy, agriculture, food systems, or international development

It's also one of the more accessible prestigious competitions — you don't need a specific academic background to do well. What matters most is thoughtful research and a well-argued recommendation.

What Are the Benefits?

Completing the Global Challenge earns you the title of Borlaug Scholar, which is a recognized credential within the agricultural and food security community. Beyond that:

• You may qualify for the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, a selective program that places students at world-renowned international research organizations
• College students who participated as high schoolers can apply for the USDA Wallace-Carver Fellowship, a paid research fellowship at USDA centers across the U.S., which also includes a Leadership Symposium in Washington, D.C.
• Top papers are eligible for one of 10 Global Challenge Awards, including two top prizes of $1,000 each
• You may be invited to the Global Youth Institute, a weeklong academic conference in Des Moines, Iowa, where selected student delegates present to international experts
• Some co-hosting universities offer scholarship eligibility to Youth Institute participants

How to Write Your Paper: The 8-Step Process

The Foundation has laid out a clear research framework. Following it closely is the best way to produce a strong paper.

Step 1: Choose a country. Pick any country other than the one you live in. You can choose somewhere you've always been curious about, or start with a topic that interests you and find a country where it's most relevant.

Step 2: Research life in that country. Describe what daily life looks like for a typical family — average family size, common jobs, diet, access to education and healthcare, infrastructure, and other relevant factors. This section grounds your paper in human context.

Step 3: Select a topic. The Foundation offers 22 topic categories, including climate change, malnutrition, water scarcity, conflict, fisheries and aquaculture, sustainable agriculture, food loss and waste, renewable energy, infectious disease, and more. Choose one that's directly relevant to your country.

Step 4: Analyze the impact. Assess how your chosen topic affects food security in your country. Look at current severity, whether trends are improving or worsening, how the issue affects rural vs. urban populations, and how marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted.

Step 5: Explore solutions. Research 2–3 potential solutions. Look at what has already been tried locally and in neighboring countries, and evaluate whether those approaches could work in your chosen context.

Step 6: Propose your recommendation. This is the heart of your paper. Describe the specific solution you're recommending, who would implement it, what resources it requires, what policies would need to support it, and how sustainable it is over time.

Step 7: Write and revise. Draft your paper and get feedback from at least two other people — teachers, mentors, or parents. Proofread carefully for grammar and sentence structure.

Step 8: Register and submit. Register for a Youth Institute at worldfoodprize.org/globalchallenge and submit your paper by the deadline.

Formatting Requirements

Your paper must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) with the following formatting:

• One-inch margins on all sides
• 11-point Calibri or Times New Roman font
• Single-spaced text, no indentation
• Double space between paragraphs
• Student information in the upper left corner of the first page: your name, high school name, school city/state/country, research country and topic, date of completion, and a boldfaced paper title
• At least five sources with in-text citations in consistent MLA or APA style

Papers are reviewed by the World Food Prize Foundation Board of Reviewers and checked for plagiarism, so write in your own voice and be meticulous about citations.

How to Stand Out

The Foundation is looking for papers with a clear, specific, and feasible recommendation — not a vague call for more awareness. The strongest papers drill down into one country, one problem, and one well-reasoned solution. Generic solutions that could apply to any country are a red flag.

Spend significant time on Steps 4 and 5 before drafting Step 6. The quality of your recommendation depends entirely on the depth of your analysis. Students who understand the local context — cultural norms, existing government structures, resource constraints — write far more compelling proposals than those who jump straight to a solution.

Featured Example Paper

To give you a sense of what a strong submission looks like, here's an example paper from a past participant:

Example paper

Key Deadline

Registration closes May 20, 2026.

To register, find a Youth Institute near you, and access research resources, visit worldfoodprize.org/globalchallenge. Questions can be directed to youthprograms@worldfoodprize.org.

AtomicMind helps students identify high-impact competitions, build strong research skills, and develop compelling application narratives. If you're interested in support for the Global Challenge or similar programs, reach out to learn more.