2025 Global Sustainability Challenge is hosted by Stanford University and co-organized by Zhejiang University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
GSC is an annual international competition that brings together interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students from across the globe. Participants collaborate to design and deliver innovative solutions addressing critical sustainability issues. This year, the competition focuses on two key themes: “Sustainable Energy” and “Adaptation & Resilience”. Under the guidance of expert mentors, teams will tackle real-world challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future.
A. Theme:
1. Sustainable Energy
Develop scalable and innovative solutions to reduce emissions across energy systems, including generation, distribution, and storage.
Example focus areas:
- Clean energy access
- Transmission and storage innovation
- Community-based energy models
2. Adaptation & Resilience
Create solutions that enhance the resilience of communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems to the effects of climate change.
Example focus areas:
Disaster preparedness
Water security
Climate-smart agriculture
Resilient infrastructure
B. Participation Requirements
1. Eligibility
All team members must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.
Team size: 1–6 students.
At least one team member must be 18 years of age or older by January 1, 2026.
Interdisciplinary teams are highly encouraged.
2. Categories
Graduate Student Group
Undergraduate Student Group
Any team with at least one graduate student shall be designated as a Graduate Student Group.
3. Mentors
Each team may have up to three mentors. If three mentors are listed, at least one must be an industry expert or interdisciplinary specialist.
C. Participating Institutions
Projects must be submitted through accredited higher education institutions.
Each institution may submit up to five projects.
Intercollegiate teams are permitted; however, the first-listed institution will receive official credit.
The institutional coordinator is responsible for verifying team compositions and ensuring the integrity of all submissions.
False declarations will result in disqualification and institutional penalties.
D. Project Submission and Evaluation
1. Submission Guidelines
All projects must be completed within the competition year (2025).
Teams must submit all required materials by the specified deadline. Late submissions will be disqualified.
Submission templates, including the university registration form, project summary table, application form, project statement, and integrity pledge, are available for download in the attached documents.
Projects that have previously received awards in other international competitions are not eligible.
2. Evaluation Process
The competition follows a rigorous two-phase evaluation process:
Online peer-review evaluation (Phase I)
Final onsite evaluation (Phase II)
Projects will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Problem Definition & Relevance (10%)
Innovation & Multidisciplinarity (30%)
Feasibility & Execution (20%)
Impact & Scalability (20%)
Communication & Storytelling (20%)
E. Awards (Regional Competition)
5 Grand Prizes, each with a monetary award
15 First Prizes, each with a monetary award
15 Second Prizes, each with a monetary award
15 Third Prizes, each with a monetary award
We are confident that this challenge will offer an excellent opportunity to with international peers, showcase their abilities, and expand their learning experiences.
For any inquiries regarding the competition, we encourage you to visit the official website (https://hub.globalsustainabilitychallenge.org/en/challenges/student-challenge)
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