Wege Prize 2027

Wege Prize 2027 is an international student design competition that challenges transdisciplinary university teams to develop products or services addressing complex ‘wicked’ problems through circular economy principles. The competition functions as a global learning laboratory with structured phases of Apply, Design, Refine, and Present and includes professional judge feedback. The total prize pool is $65,000, with $30,000 reserved for the first-place award. Teams must be composed of students from multiple disciplines and institutions.

$65,000 total prize pool (including $30,000 for first place); structured feedback from professional judges across competition phases.

Open to teams of currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate students worldwide. Teams may include a mix of undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students and must be enrolled full-time (or equivalent) for the majority of the competition; members graduating before May 2027 must remain enrolled through at least 2026-12-06. Teams may have up to five students, must include representation from a minimum of three academic disciplines, and must include representatives from at least two different institutions of higher education.

Teams apply through the official Wege Prize website and progress through four phases: Apply, Design, Refine, and Present.