Winners of the 2023 Rise Global Challenge Will Join 11 Past Winners From Nigeria and 200 Winners Worldwide To Receive Access to a Lifetime of Benefits
Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, today announced that young people ages 15 to 17 (as of July 1st, 2023) can apply for the 2023 Rise Global Challenge with the launch of the ‘Rise To’ campaign. The flagship program of Schmidt Futures and the anchor of a broader $1 billion philanthropic commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Rise finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others. Rise will build a lifelong community of students, teachers, and institutions across sectors who aim to serve others. The program, which identifies young people between the ages of 15 and 17 from around the world, is designed to encourage a lifetime of service and learning by providing support that could include scholarships, career services, and funding opportunities to help these leaders serve others for decades to come.
Since its
inception, Rise has welcomed over 150,000 people from over 170 countries to its
community and selected 200 Winners from 69 countries of origin who have
showcased their brilliance – from making education more accessible to
mitigating global warming and developing tools to better detect cancer.
Schmidt Futures
recognizes that talent is created equally, but opportunity is not, which is why
the Rise program partners with 30+ global organizations, including NBA Africa,
the African Leadership Academy, HALI Network, and BUILD Nigeria, to scour the
globe to find brilliant young people who are passionate about building a better
world.
Over the last two
years, a total of 11 Nigerian students have been selected as Rise Global
Winners. Their projects include
●
Starting an
international NGO to educate the public and solve pressing social issues
including gender equality and gender laws in Nigeria;
●
Developing a program
that offers teacher training programs, a student-centered curriculum as well as
internship opportunities for students to receive quality computer science
education in public and private schools;
●
Building robotics
to automate tasks; and
●
Increasing access
to STEM opportunities for Nigerian girls, among others.
“BUILD
Nigeria is thrilled to continue growing our partnership with Rise in Nigeria as
we work together to find and support the next generation of young
problem-solvers looking to build a better world,” said Tolulope Olasewere,
Co-Founder of Build Nigeria.
To celebrate the
opening of applications, the ‘Rise To’ creative campaign invites brilliant
young minds to continue to turn opportunities into action as they ‘Rise To’
face the world’s most pressing issues. Produced by Ogilvy, the campaign seeks
to inspire and foster a global community of 15- to 17-year-olds invested in
creating a better future. Rise has partnered with multi-platinum
singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs, known for her viral track “River,” on a series
of beautifully shot films and audio ads featuring 2021 Rise Global Winners. The
ads will come to life across social media as well as on Spotify and are set to
the tune of Brigg’s new single “superhuman.” The song, which was released today,
is inspired by this new generation of young people and recognizes the
superhumans that lie dormant in each of us.
"As a new parent, when I wrote
"superhuman,” I was inspired by this brilliant up-and-coming
generation," said Bishop Briggs.
"The Rise Global Winners' dedication to building a better world truly
exemplifies what the song is about — knowing you have the strength to continue on no matter what
comes your way."
Over the next two weeks, ‘Rise To’ will feature an
integrated digital campaign showcasing the diverse brilliance of Rise Global
Winners and inviting more to join the community. The activation will involve
celebrating two years and 200 Global Winners across two iconic locations —
Times Square in New York and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Winners featured
in the ‘Rise To’ campaign include:
● Rushank Goyal
(India), who advocates
against food adulteration in his community by conducting discussion sessions.
● Leah Mtindya
(Zambia), who spreads
awareness among teenagers about sexual and reproductive health, trans
healthcare, and domestic abuse.
● Saoirse Exton
(Ireland), who rewrote
Irish mythology from a feminist perspective, foregrounding the strong
characters that traditional narratives tended to suppress.
● Artash Nath
(Canada), who created a
way to measure the effectiveness of COVID-19 lockdowns using seismic vibrations
to track human movement.
● Jennifer Uche
(United States), who launched a
podcast that highlights the importance of youth advocacy and the power of young
people to change the world.
Rise Global
Winners will receive individualized and flexible support to achieve their goals
as they work to serve others. The program is designed to encourage a lifetime
of service to develop innovative solutions to solve society’s hard problems.
That’s why Rise provides all applicants, regardless of Winner status, with
access to its global network, free online courses, and curated opportunities
from partners. To stay up-to-date on the benefits
available for Rise applicants each year, please read the Official Rise
Challenge Rules by visiting https://www.risefortheworld.org/rules.
"Eric and I have been impressed by
the optimism, initiative and curiosity of the young people in the growing Rise
community," said Wendy Schmidt,
co-founder of Schmidt Futures and president of the Schmidt Family Foundation.
"We are excited to continue expanding this network with the 2023 cohort
and can't wait to see what these talented teens can accomplish when they work
together in service for others."
“We look for
hidden brilliance, in whatever form it takes, wherever it is in the world,” said Eric
Braverman, CEO of Schmidt Futures. “There are so many extraordinary people who could do so much
more to make the world better if they only could find opportunity -- and each
other. We hope to make the longest bet
we can imagine on exceptional talent with perseverance, integrity, and care for
others.”
“We know that amazing things happen when
talented people from different backgrounds are brought together and given
opportunities to study, collaborate, and innovate,” said Elizabeth Kiss, CEO of the Rhodes Trust. “Rise is an
extraordinary opportunity for people from every corner of the world to embark
on a lifelong journey of service and impact. Wherever you are, we encourage you
to apply. You only know what you can achieve when you try.”
All Rise Global Winners receive the following
benefits upon selection:
● Residential
Summit: A fully-funded,
three-week residential summit with other members of the Rise Global Winner
cohort.
● Global Winner
Network: Access to the
Rise Global Winners network to connect on common interests, make service
commitments, launch enterprises, and collaborate.
● Counseling
and Career Support: Advice and
support for applying to university and selecting a career
● Programming: Access to specialized programs, courses, and
other opportunities through Rise partners.
● Higher Education
Scholarships: A four-year,
post-secondary scholarship at any accredited university, including tuition and
a living stipend, based on need and where not already covered by financial aid.
● Technology: A technology package, such as a laptop or tablet,
to be determined annually.
In addition, all Rise Global Winners can apply
for the following benefits:
● Partner Network: Matching to programs, secondary school
scholarships, internships, and other benefits from partners who are part of the
Rise network.
● Funding
Opportunities: Apply for
funding to experiment with innovative ideas to address major problems in local
communities or around the world—ranging from seed money to start a social
enterprise to a grant for a non-profit.
● Education
Support: Apply for
scholarship funds for a graduate degree.
How to Apply?
The online
applications are open on the Rise website
and are available until January 25, 2023, at 16:59 GMT. For applicants without
access to mobile technology, Rise works with its partners on the ground to
offer alternative pathways through paper applications.
Rise provides
applicants with multiple opportunities during the application process to
showcase their potential through videos, projects, and group interviews. The
application allows applicants to select projects most suited to their
interests, abilities, and time availability.
The Rise 2023 Challenge has three stages:
●
Submission: Applicants introduce themselves through videos,
create an individual project that demonstrates their talents and benefits their
communities, and peer review other applicants' projects, among other
activities.
●
Interview: Rise then selects up to 500 Finalists to advance
to "Finalist Days," where they demonstrate their motivations,
problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills in an innovative interview
format.
●
Global Winner Selection: From the Finalists, Rise selects 100 Global
Winners to receive a lifetime of benefits as they work to serve others.
About Rise
Rise is a program
that finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as
they work to serve others. The program starts at ages 15–17 and offers benefits
including scholarships, mentorship, access to career development opportunities,
funding, and more as Global Winners work toward solving humanity’s most
pressing problems. For more information about Rise, visit www.risefortheworld.org
About Schmidt Futures
Schmidt Futures bets early on exceptional people making the
world better. Founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Schmidt Futures is a
philanthropic initiative that brings talented people together in networks to
prove out their ideas and solve hard problems in science and society. To learn
more about our method and the diverse types of capital and tools that we
deploy, visit https://www.schmidtfutures.com
About The Rhodes Trust
The Rhodes Trust, based at the University of Oxford, builds a
better world through global fellowship programmes that develop and connect
compassionate, innovative, and public-spirited people committed to solving
humanity's challenges. Our flagship programme, established in 1903, is the
Rhodes Scholarship, the world's pre-eminent graduate scholarship. Nearly 8,000
Rhodes Scholars have gone on to serve at the forefront of government,
education, the arts, NGOs, commerce, research and other sectors. They are well
known advocates for expanded social justice, and have advanced the frontiers of
science and medicine.
Media contacts
Korede Akinsete, kakinsete@schmidtfutures.com
Ogilvy PR
Nigeria, NigeriaRisePR@ogilvy.com
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