Paid Competitions &amp; Hackathons Opportunities

📍 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

Founder

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.

📍 Global (regional heats)PaidMedium

#competition#fintech#startup

Apply → visaeverywhereinitiative.com

Founder

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.

📍 Asia-Pacific regionPaidMedium

#competition#social-enterprise#youth

Apply → youthcolab.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.

#competition#film#short-form

Apply → depictfilms.com

Early Career

Yale Drama Series Playwriting Competition

Yale University Press

A playwriting competition for early-career writers judged by a working playwright, with the winning full-length play published by Yale University Press and given a professional staged reading.

📍 Global (online submission)PaidHard

#competition#playwriting#literature

Apply → yalebooks.yale.edu

📍 Global (online); workshop in Los Angeles, USAPaidMedium

Sony Future Filmmaker Awards

Sony Pictures

A short-film competition across genre categories including a dedicated student track, with a funded workshop trip to Sony Pictures Studios for finalists.

#competition#film#student

Apply → sonyfuturefilmmakerawards.com

American Meteorological Society

American Meteorological Society Photo Contest

A photography competition capturing weather, water, and climate phenomena, judged by atmospheric scientists, with modest cash prizes for winners.

📍 Global (online submission)PaidEasy

#competition#photography#weather

Apply → ametsoc.org

Royal Meteorological Society

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year

A weather and climate photography competition across multiple categories including a youth award, celebrating images of meteorological phenomena worldwide.

📍 Global (online submission)PaidEasy

#competition#photography#weather

Apply → rmets.org