Application Deadline: 1 FEBRUARY 2027
Applications are now open for the 2027 St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition. 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.
Submission Type
- 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.
Eligibility
- 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)
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition
