Applications are closing soon for the 2026 Youth Summit Pitch Competition organised by the World Bank Group, a global platform designed to showcase youth-led solutions to pressing development challenges.
Young innovators and entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 from countries that are members of the World Bank Group have until March 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST) to submit their applications.
Open to young innovators and entrepreneurs, the competition invites individuals and teams of up to five members from World Bank Group member countries to present bold, scalable ideas capable of driving real-world impact.
The World Bank Group says the competition forms a flagship component of the annual Youth Summit, highlighting the role of youth entrepreneurship in creating jobs, promoting inclusive economic growth, and advancing sustainable development.
While the competition welcomes ideas from all sectors, participants are encouraged to demonstrate how their solutions use entrepreneurship to address the Summit’s core priorities: job creation, education and skills development, and agriculture.
Projects may align with one or more of these themes while incorporating cross-cutting perspectives such as technology and innovation, financing strategies and solutions designed for Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries (FCV).
Applicants must submit their proposals in English through the official online platform and include a completed application form, a pitch deck and a video pitch outlining their innovation and its potential impact. The Group advises applicants to carefully review submission guidelines to ensure compliance with competition requirements.
Finalists will receive professional pitching coaching and project feedback from World Bank and partner technical advisors before presenting their innovations during the 2026 Youth Summit, which will take place at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Winners of the competition will receive tailored mentoring from experts at the International Finance Corporation, focusing on areas such as business modelling, market analysis and context-specific strategy development. Travel support may be provided for one representative from each finalist team, subject to eligibility and visa requirements.
Applications for the competition opened on February 13, 2026, and will close on March 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST). Submissions will be reviewed between March and April 2026, with selected finalists invited to interviews before presenting at the final pitch event during the Youth Summit on June 11–12, 2026.
The initiative aims to bring together young change-makers, global development leaders and technical experts to explore how innovative ideas can be transformed into scalable solutions for global development challenges.
Applications can be submitted through the official portal:
https://www.f6s.com/world-bank-group-youth-summit-2026/apply.
