Briefs · Frontier Science
$250,000 for a Young Leader Who Codes Against Poverty
Youth is not waiting for permission. It is applying for $250,000.
Applications opened on November 5, 2025, for the 2026 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award, closing on December 17, 2025, at 8pm EST. The prize goes to one individual aged 18 to 30 who uses technology to help end extreme poverty. The $250,000 is paid directly to the winner’s organisation.
Applicants must show measurable impact over the last three to five years, advancing one or more of the United Nations’ Global Goals. Judges weigh impact, vision, catalyst, global citizenship and technical innovation equally. The process asks for a short video pitch, short answers and organisational details.
The 2025 winner, Esther Kimani, sets the standard. Her Farmer Lifeline Technologies uses affordable AI to scan crops for pests and diseases, then alerts Kenyan smallholder farmers by SMS. The award is not a trophy, but rather a tool. In Kenya alone, 7.5 million smallholder farmers can lose up to half their produce each season. One young leader, one clever system, one very large problem.
Read the original at Global Citizen
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