St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition 2027 (CHF 20,000 Prize & Participation to the 56th St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland)

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Applications are open for St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition 2027. Compete in the Global Ideas Competition and qualify for an all-expenses-covered participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium.

As a Leader of Tomorrow, you’ll join a unique global community that extends far beyond the Symposium. Be inspired by world-renowned speakers, challenge your perspectives, and contribute to the conversations shaping tomorrow.

St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition Submission Type

Your submission has two parts

The Solution Brief is the core of your submission. In no more than 1,000 words, across four sections, you identify a real problem, back it with evidence, propose a partnership that could solve it, and show how it would work. It’s assessed anonymously, the strength of your argument and evidence is what counts, not who wrote it.
The Video Explainer is your second submission. Imagine you run into your dream speaker at the Symposium and pitch them your idea — you have three minutes.

Topic Question

What could we solve, if we could agree?
Cooperation increasingly comes with terms, and those terms determine what gets built and what is left undone. They also govern the clock: what was once a decision is now a negotiation. Somewhere, a solvable problem remains unsolved because the parties cannot agree.
Identify such a problem and propose a novel arrangement that would make solving it more effective.
Choose a case you understand from the inside. Show us what would be built or unlocked, and the evidence it works. Then set out who would have to be involved, on what basis they would come together, and why this has not yet happened.

St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition Benefits

200 Young Minds
- Meet 200 of the world’s brightest young minds.
600 Senior Leaders
- Exchange ideas with more than 600 senior leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society.
20,000 CHF Prize Fund
- On top of that, the three best ideas will share a prize fund of CHF 20,000.

Eligibility Criteria

Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university
Born in 1997 or later

Requirements

Form: Solution Brief (max. 1000 words using our template) + 3-minute Video-Explainer
Individuality: Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The solution brief must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own.
Citation: All sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay. All contributions will be tested for plagiarism.
Any auxiliary aids (AI, proofreading, layout/graphics services, writing and translation programs, etc.) are to be listed. All auxiliary aids and resources used must be fully and correctly cited. Failure to acknowledge or reference any aid will result in disqualification. Transparency and academic integrity are mandatory.
Template:Download Template for the Solution Brief & Watch the Instruction Video

Application Procedure:

Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages)
Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrollment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of 1 February 2027 (download sample document here)
Your Solution Brief with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself
Your Video Explainer (max. 3 minutes)