Global Innovation Challenge 2026
About The Global Innovation Challenge 2026
The Global Innovation Challenge 2026 is a virtual business, entrepreneurship and social impact competition for high school students worldwide.
Students will develop, test and pitch an original business, or social enterprise idea. The winning idea receives a US$1,500 Seed Award from the Global Builders’ Seed Fund.
Students can sign up individually or as a team of 2–3. Those who sign up individually have the option to work alone or be matched with other participants to form a team.
No technical, coding, business or research experience is required — workshops, resources and guidance are provided throughout the programme.
Applications close 30 November 2026.
Check out our event brochure here.
Have any questions? Join our free info session on 21 November 2026 here.
Key Dates:
Launch Date & AI Workshop: 11 December 2026, 09:30AM - 11:00AM Eastern Time (ET)
Research Workshop Option 1: 12 December 2026, 02:30AM - 04:00AM Eastern Time (ET)
Research Workshop Option 2: 12 December 2026, 09:30AM - 11:00AM Eastern Time (ET)
Team Consultations: Book 30-minutes slots with your mentors from 13 Dec 2026 to 8 Jan 2027.
Submission: 9 Jan 2027, 11:59PM Eastern Time (ET)
Pitch Finals: 16 Jan 2027, 09:30AM - 11:00AM Eastern Time (ET)
Apart from the above dates, students can work with their teams to build their projects.
What Ideas can you Submit?
Students can develop and pitch:
A business or startup idea
A social enterprise or social impact initiative
A digital product, app or software innovation
A community-based project
The possibilities ... entirely up to you and what you are passionate / care about.
The programme will take you from idea → prototype → evaluate via research → pitch.
Who Can Participate?
The Global Innovation Challenge is designed for high school students from around the world.
All our student programs are designed to be inclusive, regardless of background, academic, or technical experience. Training and resources are fully provided, so no technical, coding, policy, or research background is required nor expected.
No previous experience in Entrepreneurship, Business, Coding, Product development and Research is required.
We are looking for students who are curious about problems and willing to build.
Global Builders’ Seed Fund & Opportunities
One winning innovation will receive a US$1,500 Seed Award. This is a cash award for students to continue developing and improving their projects.
Participants may also receive opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs, venture builders and investors.
Selected projects and results will be featured on: globalarchives.org
Confirmed Speakers & Mentors
Arthur de Napoleao — Lecturer at Link school, Brazil; President / Co-Founder at Legado UER
Jin Yi Chua — Senior Venture Architect, Wright Partners; former Innovation Consultant working with companies including Samsung, Google and ByteDance.
Ash Ang — Founding Mentor, Stanford University Accelerator for Learning AI Tinkery Lab; Innovation Associate, Kinaya Ventures.
Rodney Chan - Manager, Temasek Foundation (1.2B funds managed)
About Build Learning:
At Build Learning, students explore their passions, embark on self-initiated projects, and solve real-world problems with industry mentors using Design Thinking and new technologies.
We are proud to have successfully organised the following full-house events, in collaboration and with support from organisations from Big Tech (OpenAI, Lovable, Cloudflare, Google, AWS, Kakao Corp, Coupang), higher educational institutes (Stanford University Institute for Human Centered AI, Singapore Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), as well as the Singapore Government (Singapore Global Network, AI Singapore, SGInnovate, Infocomm Media Development Authority):
2026: Build for Impact Hackathon, Seoul 2026
2026: Global Impact Competition (Virtual)
2026: Global Cultures Hackathon (Virtual)
2026: National Build for Impact Hackathon, Singapore AI Research Week 2026
2025: Global Winter Case Competition & Product Innovation for Kinaya Ventures, in collaboration with CaseCatalyst
2025: Build a World of Joy & Wellness, Providence Christian Academy, Seoul
2025: Supercharge your CoHASS Advantage, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2025: Design Thinking is Evolving, Are You? Stanford University
Follow us on Instagram: @buildlearning.co | Build Learning's website | Event brochure here | Register above. Spots are limited!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who can participate?
The Global Innovation Challenge 2026 is open to high school students worldwide. Students can sign up individually or as a team of 2–3. Those who sign up individually have the option to be matched with other participants to form a team.
Is the Global Innovation Challenge online?
Yes. The entire competition is conducted virtually, so students can participate from anywhere in the world.
Do I need business or coding experience?
No. No technical, coding, business or research experience is required. Participants receive training and resources to develop their ideas.
What can I build for the competition?
Students can develop business ideas, startups, social enterprises, digital products, software ideas or community initiatives addressing a problem they care about.
Is there a prize for the Global Innovation Challenge?
One winning innovation will receive a US$1,500 Seed Award from the Global Builders’ Seed Fund to support the continued development of the project.
How much does the Global Innovation Challenge cost?
The participation fee is US$250 per student. Financial aid is available. The US$250 participation fee gives students access to the full Global Innovation Challenge programme, including live workshops, prototyping and research resources, guidance and consultations throughout the challenge, and opportunities to present and receive feedback on their ideas.
Is the US$1,500 Seed Award an investment?
No. The US$1,500 Seed Award is a cash prize which students can use to support the continued development of their projects. Build Learning does not take equity in the project.
When is the application deadline?
Applications close on 30 November 2026, with places offered on a rolling basis.
When does the competition take place?
The programme begins on 11 December 2026, submissions are due on 9 January 2027, and the Pitch Finals takes place on 16 January 2027.
Quick Facts
Eligibility: High school students worldwide
Format: Fully virtual
Team size: Teams of 2–3
Focus: Business, entrepreneurship, innovation & social impact
Experience required: None
Seed Award: US$1,500
Application deadline: 30 November 2026
Programme: 11 December 2026 – 16 January 2027
Participation fee: US$250/student
Financial aid: Available