Deadline:
April 24, 2026
Location(s)
Online Switzerland
Overview
Eager to stimulate reflection and innovation on development from diverse disciplinary and contextual perspectives and with the generous support of Ambassador Jenö Staehelin, the Graduate Institute has launched in 2014 the Advancing Development Goals Contest, an annual international competition for Master students.
Every year, the participants are invited provide contributions that are both theoretically grounded and offer pragmatic solutions to a specific relevant international development problem stemming from an interdisciplinary collaboration between three to five enrolled master students from anywhere in the world.
Details
GENEVA CHALLENGE 2026
THE CHALLENGES to the future of work
The world of work is undergoing profound and accelerating transformation. Technological change - particularly in artificial intelligence, automation, robotization, and digitalization - is reshaping occupational structures in labour markets across regions. Demographic shifts are altering global labour supply as ageing high-income economies confront shrinking workforces and lower- and middle-income countries face the challenge of generating productive employment for large and growing youth populations. Climate change is transforming labour demand. It threatens livelihoods in climate-vulnerable sectors and regions, risking labour displacement and inequality, particularly in the developing world. The green transition creates new employment opportunities and has the potential to increase productivity and support sustainable growth.
These forces interact to redefine employment relationships and skill requirements, often magnifying existing inequalities across gender, age, skill level, and geography. They also accelerate the expansion of non-standard forms of employment, including platform-mediated work, temporary contracts, and informality. At the same time, the future of work is not predetermined. Public policy, labour-market institutions, education and training systems, social protection frameworks, and mechanisms of collective representation play a decisive role in shaping how technological and structural change translates into labour-market outcomes. The central challenge is to ensure that transitions are inclusive, workers are supported, and productivity gains are shared broadly across society.
Work is central to human well-being, social cohesion, and economic development. It is a primary source of income and social protection, a key channel for social mobility, and a cornerstone of individual dignity and participation in society. The availability, quality, and distribution of work are therefore fundamental to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This includes poverty reduction (SDG 1), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), gender equality (SDG 5), and sustainable development more broadly.
Registration deadline: 24 April 2026 at 23:59 CET.
Submission deadline: 11 July 2026 at 23:59 CET.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Eligibility:
- 1.1. Participants of the ADG contest 2026 must be enrolled as graduate students at the time of their registration for the contest.
- 1.1.1. We consider “graduate students” to be anyone enrolled in a post bachelor level university programme with a maximum duration of 2 (two) years, or anyone who can prove to be studying towards acquiring a masters level degree.
- 1.2. Participants must gather in teams of 3 (three) to 5 (five) graduate students, who are able to contribute from at least 2 (two) different disciplinary perspectives to the submitted analysis.
- 1.2.1 No participation on an individual basis will be admitted.
- 1.2.2 The participants can be enrolled in a same graduate programme, collaborate with students from other programmes from the university they are enrolled in or coordinate with students from different universities and institutions worldwide.
- 1.2.3 The category in which the team will be placed for the contest will be based on the continent of the universities predominantly represented within the team.
- 1.2.3.1 In case, there is an equal representation of continents within the team, the team decides in which category they wish to compete.
- 1.3. All team members must provide a scanned copy of a document that serves as proof of enrolment as a graduate student before the registration of the team can be confirmed and validated.
- 1.3.1. Any official document issued by the academic institution the student is affiliated to is accepted as proof of enrolment as long as it contains:
- a) The name of the student;
- b) The program he/she is enrolled in;
- c) An issuance date up to three months before the registration date or
- d) Validity beyond the registration date
- 1.4. Exceptionally, we might accept the registration of students who are transitioning into graduate studies, as long as they have already been accepted in a graduate student programme at the time of the registration.
Dates
Deadline: April 24, 2026
Cost/funding for participants
Prizes
The ADG contest distributes 25,000 CHF in monetary prizes. The winning project will be awarded CHF 10,000; the two teams in second place will receive CHF 5,000 each and the two teams in third place, CHF 2,500 each.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
