Global Sustainability Challenge
Develop solutions to the world’s most urgent sustainability problems. Take your idea to the world.
Led by Stanford University in collaboration with YGA, the Global Sustainability Challenge (GSC) brings together university students from around the world to develop innovative, actionable solutions to sustainability’s most urgent problems.
Why join GSC?
Join a global community of youth from 90+ countries
Work alongside global mentors
Develop a solution to a real problem
Earn a spot at the regional final in Germany and the global final in China
Take your idea to the global stage
Benefit from a $35,000+ prize pool
Become part of a global ecosystem of leading universities
A Global Collaboration of Leading Institutions
The Global Sustainability Challenge is delivered through a global collaboration that brings together the world’s leading universities and institutions.
Coming from different geographies and disciplines, these institutions work together to build a shared platform where young people can develop solutions to sustainability’s most urgent problems.
A Global Challenge
Young people from every corner of the world come together around a shared purpose: developing real solutions for a sustainable future.
What is GSC?
From an idea to a real-world solution.
The Global Sustainability Challenge is a global challenge program where university students develop solutions to the world’s most urgent sustainability problems.
You don’t just pitch an idea here.
You research the problem, build your team, develop your solution, prototype it, get feedback from your mentors, and turn your idea into a solution capable of making a real-world impact.
Who Can Join?
If you have an idea, you can start.
GSC is open to university students from anywhere in the world.
You could be studying engineering, design, business, social sciences, or any other field.
Different perspectives create stronger solutions.
What Can You Work On?
Sustainable Energy
Rethink the future of energy.
Develop solutions in clean energy generation, energy storage, energy access, energy efficiency, and resilient energy systems.
Adaptation & Resilience
Design communities and systems that are more resilient to climate change.
Develop solutions in water, food resilience, and resilience to extreme heat.
Whether you build technology or design a new product, business model, or system —
what matters is creating a meaningful solution to a real problem.
How Does an Idea Become a Global Solution?
At GSC, an idea moves through four stages to become a global solution.
Build your team.
Choose your problem.
Research.
Develop your solution idea.
Build your prototype.
Test it.
Get feedback from global mentors.
Refine your solution.
Present your solution at the regional final.
Teams that reach the final from Europe get the chance to present their solutions to the global community at TUM.
Teams selected from the regional finals come together with finalists from every region of the world.
What Awaits You at GSC?
Global Community
Meet students from 90+ countries and create alongside young people from different cultures and disciplines.
Global Mentorship
Work with mentors from sustainability, academia, entrepreneurship, and other fields of expertise.
Build and Prototype
Don’t just pitch an idea. Research, prototype, test, and refine it with feedback.
International Experience
Be part of the international experience in Munich and Hangzhou for teams reaching the Regional Finals and Global Finale.
Global Stage
Present your solution to young people and experts from every region of the world.
Prizes and Opportunities
A $35,000+ total prize pool, global visibility, and new connections.
Real Problems. Real Solutions.
They started with a problem.
They built a team.
They developed their ideas with mentors.
They tested their prototypes.
And they brought their solutions to the world.
GSC offers young people more than just a challenge experience; it’s a journey from noticing a problem, to developing a solution, to bringing that solution to the world.
Be Part of the Solution
The next global solution could be your idea.
Is there a problem in sustainability you want to solve?
Build your team. Develop your idea. Take it to the world.
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE 2026–27
APPLY NOW
From Turkey to the World
YGA’s Role in GSC
As one of GSC’s founding partners, YGA connects young people in Turkey with this global ecosystem.
YGA’s role in GSC is to help young people in Turkey reach the challenge, connect them with global mentors and peers, and build a community where they can develop their ideas.