Youth Institutes
A programme by World Food Prize Foundation
Youth events co-hosted with agricultural universities in nine countries, where students present their research on food security.
At a glance
| Best for | Students writing a three-to-five page food-security research paper |
|---|---|
| Format | In person |
About Youth Institutes
Youth Institutes are where students present their food-security research. The Foundation co-hosts 40 of them across Honduras, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States, in partnership with major agricultural universities. Its pages say more than 2,000 students present each year.
Iowa Youth Institute is for eighth to twelfth-grade students and is held in Ames, Iowa. It has no registration fee, and meals are provided. Participants arrange their own transport. The next institute is on 7 April 2027.
Florida Youth Institute is for eleventh and twelfth-grade students and is held in Gainesville, Florida. A registration fee applies, and the date is not yet set.
Who can apply
- Students who write a three-to-five page research paper on a country and a food-security topic.
How to apply: The Iowa registration and paper deadline is 24 March 2027. Participants are recognised as Borlaug Scholars, the Foundation says.
Where to apply
Other World Food Prize Foundation programmes
- Innovate for Impact ChallengeAn AgTech challenge for early-stage startups, run with America’s Cultivation Corridor, with prizes and finals at the Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines.
- Global Youth InstituteA three-day academic conference in Des Moines each October, where student delegates from Youth Institutes share their research.
- Borlaug-Ruan International InternshipAn unpaid international internship of at least eight weeks, with no fee to apply or take part. Applications for 2027 have not opened yet.
- USDA Wallace-Carver FellowshipA paid fellowship with USDA research centres for American college students, run in partnership with the USDA. Closed until further notice.
- World Food PrizeThe Foundation’s annual cash award to a living individual whose work improves the world’s food supply, presented each October.
- Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and ApplicationAn annual award for professionals under 40 for field research and application, endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.