St. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition 2027 in Switzerland

About

The St. Gallen Symposium is a yearly meeting in Switzerland where young people and senior leaders from business, politics, science and civil society debate the big questions of our time. It has run since 1969 and is organised by students. The Global Ideas Competition, formerly the Global Essay Competition, is the main way for graduate students to earn a place at the event.

The 2027 question is “What could we solve, if we could agree?” You pick a problem that could be solved but stays unsolved because the people or groups involved cannot agree. Then you propose a new arrangement that would make solving it easier. The authors of the top 100 entries are invited to the 56th St. Gallen Symposium in late April 2027 as “Leaders of Tomorrow”. The three best ideas also share a prize fund of CHF 20,000.

Host organisation and country

The Symposium is organised by the International Students’ Committee (ISC), a student team at the University of St. Gallen. The event takes place in the city of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. According to the Symposium, it brings together more than 1,400 participants from over 90 countries, including more than 200 young leaders.

Financial benefits

• Free participation in the Symposium for the top 100 entries
• Travel to Switzerland, with flights or train tickets booked by the organisers
• An airport shuttle and a free public transport ticket in St. Gallen during Symposium week
• Board and lodging, with accommodation in private student flats
• A CHF 20,000 prize fund shared by the three best ideas
• The very best competitors present their ideas on the main stage
• Not covered: visa costs (the organisers send invitation documents to the Swiss embassy), spouses or other guests, and some meals depending on your travel times. The organisers suggest bringing CHF 100 to 200 as pocket money

Eligibility criteria

• Students of any nationality
• Enrolled in a master’s or higher programme on 1 February 2027, in any field
• Your university must be a research university that offers at least one PhD programme (other cases are decided individually)
• Born in 1997 or later
• Bachelor students are not eligible, unless their university confirms in writing that their current year is equal to graduate level (for example, an honours fourth year)
• Individual entries only, no teams

Required documents

• A Solution Brief of up to 1,000 words in English, using the official template. It has four parts: Summary, Evidence and Analysis, Proposal, and Implementation Path. References and an optional evidence annex do not count toward the limit. Your name must not appear anywhere in the file
• A video of up to three minutes in which you speak to the camera and explain your idea. No slides, screen sharing or script. MP4 or MOV at 720p or higher, or an unlisted YouTube or Vimeo link
• An abstract of 200 to 300 words, entered in the online form
• A passport or national ID card (a driver’s licence is not accepted)
• Proof of enrolment showing your graduate status on 1 February 2027
• A list of any AI tools or other aids you used, saying how and where you used them

How to apply

1. Check the eligibility rules on the official competition page.
2. Download the official template and write your Solution Brief.
3. Record your video explainer.
4. Prepare your ID and proof of enrolment.
5. Fill in the online form, add your abstract and your list of aids, and upload everything.
6. Submit before 1 February 2027, 11:59 p.m. in the last time zone on Earth (UTC-12).

Selection process and timeline

1. The ISC checks that you are eligible and that your documents are complete.
2. Round 1: a jury reads the Solution Briefs anonymously.
3. Round 2: the jury watches the videos to confirm that the idea is really yours.
4. The top 100 become Leaders of Tomorrow.

The juries include business leaders, journalists and professors, as well as academics from the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. Results are sent by email by mid-March 2027 at the latest. The Symposium itself takes place in late April 2027.

Tips for a strong application

• Choose a narrow, concrete problem where the disagreement is clear. A focused idea is easier to defend in 1,000 words.
• Back your analysis with evidence and cite every source. All briefs are checked for plagiarism, including reuse of your own earlier work.
• Declare every AI tool you used. Undeclared aids lead to disqualification.
• In your video, speak naturally and explain the idea in your own words. The jury uses it to check that the thinking is yours.
• Leave time to get your proof of enrolment, since it must show your status on 1 February 2027.