2025 GDC Global Voices Essay Challenge (Deadline: 15 July, 2025)

Applications are open for the GDC Global Voices Essay Challenge 2025. As digital technologies continue to reshape economies and societies worldwide, ensuring inclusive digital transformation is crucial for achieving sustainable development. While innovation offers immense opportunities, gaps in access, governance, and digital equity persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The Global Development Conference (GDC) 2025 Global Voices Essay Challenge invites students to respond to the question: “What does inclusive digital transformation mean for sustainable development in Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)?”

Participants are encouraged to reflect on how digital transformation is reshaping societies and economies in LMICs, and to explore both its opportunities and its challenges, such as digital inequality, algorithmic bias, youth activism, and governance gaps. Essays should express original viewpoints, drawing from personal observation, local examples, or emerging trends, and propose clear ideas or recommendations to make digital transformation more inclusive and impactful for sustainable development.

Categories

The challenge is open to students across three academic levels:

• Undergraduate Students: Essays may include personal perspectives, observations, and early reflections on digital transformation and its social impact.
• Master’s Students: Essays should present policy ideas, critical reflections, or grounded arguments on digital equity, governance, or innovation.
• PhD Students: Essays may include deeper, specialised insights based on academic or professional exposure, while maintaining an accessible and opinion-driven tone.

Prizes

Winners will be invited to attend GDC 2025 in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where they will:

• Participate in a communications workshop hosted by the GlobalDev Blog.
• Be featured in a special publication on digital transformation featuring selected winning essays.
• Publish their work and be promoted through GDN’s digital platforms and partner channels.
• Receive an official Certificate of Achievement from GDN.

Selected winners may also be offered opportunities for continued engagement, including the chance to participate in special GDN activities, such as workshops, editorial collaborations, or a potential panel discussion. 

Eligibility

Open to students who meet one of the following criteria:

• Are currently enrolled at an academic institution in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC);
• Have graduated from an academic institution in an LMIC within the last six months;
• Are currently based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, regardless of nationality.

Application

• The word limit for the essay is 750–1000 words (excluding references or citations). Participants may include a short list of references or citations at the end of the essay; however, this section will not count toward the word limit.
• Participants must adhere to the contest’s Ethical Standards (outlined below).
• Only digital submissions in PDF or Word format are acceptable. Submissions must be made through the GDC 2025 platform.
• The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 15, 2025, at 23:59 CET.
• All essays will undergo originality screening, including plagiarism and AI-content checks.

For more information, visit GDC Global Voices Essay Challenge.