Competitions &amp; hackathons

Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC)

AICC Student Packaging Design Competition

A US packaging design competition with structural and graphic design categories, including an all-expenses-paid industry trip for winners.

📍 United StatesPaidMedium

#competition#packaging-design#team

Apply → aiccbox.org

Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)

Starpack Students Competition

A UK-based real-world metal packaging design challenge for design students, with a sponsored brief specific to metal packaging.

📍 United KingdomPaidMedium

#competition#packaging-design#student

Apply → mpma.org.uk

Amberif / International Amber Association

AMBERIF Design Award

An international competition promoting Baltic amber as a medium for artistic jewelry expression, tied to the Amberif trade fair.

📍 Gdańsk, PolandPaidMedium

#competition#jewelry-design#craft

Apply → amberif.pl

CLIP STUDIO PAINT (CELSYS) / pixiv

Global Comic Awards

An international manga, comic, and webtoon competition spotlighting emerging and established creators around an annual theme.

📍 Japan (international entries)PaidMedium

#competition#comics#manga

Apply → clipstudio.net

Early Career

SoundTrack_Cologne European Talent Competition

SoundTrack_Cologne

A sound design and composition talent competition awarding a professional 5.1 cinematic mixdown session in a prestigious studio.

📍 Cologne, GermanyUnpaidMedium

#competition#sound-design#film-scoring

Apply → soundtrackcologne.de

City of Carouge / Musée de Carouge

Carouge International Ceramics Competition

A biennial international ceramics competition running since 1987, with exhibited works shown at the Musée de Carouge.

📍 Geneva, SwitzerlandPaidHard

#competition#ceramics#craft

Apply → ceramicsnow.org

Berlin International Film Scoring Competition

Berlin International Sound Design Competition

Sound designers create foley, sound effects, and dialogue for a supplied five-minute animated film.

📍 Germany (international entries)PaidMedium

#competition#sound-design#film

Apply → bifsc.org

📍 Vancouver, Canada (international entries)PaidMedium

LAMP International Lighting Design Competition

LAMP

An independent juried competition championing emerging lighting designers across professional, student, and manufactured-product categories.

#competition#lighting-design#student

Apply → lampthecompetition.com

📍 Netherlands, Germany, UK, Norway, SwedenPaidMedium

Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge

Dutch Postcode Lottery

An annual startup competition for green innovations tackling climate change, plastic pollution, or food waste.

#competition#green-tech#europe

Apply → greenchallenge.info

Milken Institute / Motsepe Foundation

Milken-Motsepe Prize in Circular Economy

A competition for scalable, tech-driven African businesses transforming waste into value through circular economy business models.

📍 AfricaPaidHard

#competition#circular-economy#africa

Apply → milkeninstitute.org

📍 Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Malawi, UgandaPaidMedium

AYuTe Africa Challenge

Heifer International

A pan-African competition identifying and funding young agritech entrepreneurs building solutions for smallholder farmers, run across multiple national competitions.

#competition#agritech#africa

Apply → ayute.africa

📍 Africa (all countries)PaidHard

Africa's Business Heroes Prize Competition

Jack Ma Foundation

A pan-African entrepreneurship competition recognizing outstanding African founders across sectors, with a substantial cash prize pool and mentorship from global business leaders.

#competition#africa#entrepreneurship

Apply → africabusinessheroes.org

📍 Global (online submission); exhibition varies by yearPaidHard

Loewe Foundation Craft Prize

Loewe Foundation

An international craft prize recognizing exceptional handmade work across disciplines like ceramics, textiles, and woodworking, with exhibition and a substantial cash prize.

#competition#craft#art

Apply → craftprize.loewe.com

Kokuyo Design Award

Kokuyo (Japan)

An annual stationery, furniture, and everyday-tool design competition open globally, judged on originality and practical usability, with a substantial cash grand prize.

#competition#design#product-design

Apply → kokuyo-award.org

Australian National University

ANU Science Case Study Competition

A case-study competition for undergraduate teams analyzing a real scientific or policy problem (such as critical minerals or mental health), judged on rigor and communication.

#competition#case-study#science

Apply → anu.edu.au

Apply → harbinger.rbihub.in

RBI Harbinger: Innovation for Transformation Hackathon

Reserve Bank of India

India's central bank hackathon inviting teams to build fintech solutions across themes like fraud prevention and green finance, with one of the largest cash prize pools in Indian hackathons.

📍 IndiaPaidHard

#hackathon#fintech#india

📍 Global (regional heats)PaidMedium

Visa Everywhere Initiative

Visa

A global startup competition supporting founders building innovative payment and commerce technologies, with cash prizes and mentorship from Visa's innovation team.

#competition#fintech#startup

Apply → visaeverywhereinitiative.com

International Finance Corporation

IFC Impact Investing Challenge

A team-based challenge for graduate students to develop investment strategies addressing climate, gender equity, or financial inclusion, culminating in a pitch to IFC leadership.

📍 Global (online); finals presentationUnpaidHard

#competition#finance#impact-investing

Apply → ifc.org

📍 Asia-Pacific regionPaidMedium

Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge

UNDP / Citi Foundation

A regional startup idea challenge for young people building solutions to social problems such as education access, care work, and disability inclusion, with seed funding for finalists.

#competition#social-enterprise#youth

Apply → youthcolab.org

Center for Nonviolent Communication

Non-Violent Communication Video Contest

A video contest inviting entrants to demonstrate nonviolent communication practices in everyday scenarios, with recognition and certificates for standout entries.

📍 Global (online submission)UnpaidEasy

#competition#video#communication

Apply → cnvc.org

UN Institute for Disarmament Research

UNIDIR Global Disarmament Essay Competition

An essay competition inviting young people to write on disarmament, arms control, and international security, with a funded trip to Geneva for the winner.

📍 Global (online); winner trip to GenevaPaidMedium

#competition#essay#disarmament

Apply → unidir.org

Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security

A prize for innovative concepts addressing global peace and security challenges, with winners receiving a funded incubation period at GCSP in Geneva.

📍 Geneva, SwitzerlandPaidMedium

#competition#peace#security

Apply → gcsp.ch

Stanford Center on Longevity

Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge

A design competition for student teams proposing products or services that improve healthy aging and human longevity, judged in a final pitch round.

📍 Global (online); finals at Stanford, USAPaidHard

#competition#design#healthcare

Apply → longevity.stanford.edu

📍 Global (online submission)PaidEasy

Global Canvas Children's Art Competition

Global Canvas

A children's art competition spanning painting, sculpture, textile, and collage on an annual theme, with cash or supply-voucher prizes for winners.

#competition#art#children

Apply → globalcanvas.org

Toyota Logistic Design Competition

Toyota

A design competition inviting student teams to propose 2D or 3D circular-economy object designs addressing transportation and material-use challenges.

#competition#design#sustainability

Apply → toyota-mobility.com

H.G. Wells Society / literary festival

HG Wells Short Story Competition

An annual themed short-story competition for young writers under 21, with a notable cash grand prize and publication opportunity.

#competition#writing#fiction

Apply → hgwellscompetition.com

Depict! (UK film festival)

Depict! Short Film Competition

A short film competition capping entries at 90 seconds across any genre, screened at UK festivals, with a modest cash prize pool.