If you are a student hungry for professional development and willing to take up a challenge that may change your whole life, keep reading.

We prepared a list of student competitions that will enrich your resume and kickstart your career this year. Good luck!

👩‍🎓 8 student competitions to launch your career in 2021

1. APRU Global Health Student Case Competition

Deadline: June 1 | Apply here
Eligibility: The team must be comprised of currently enrolled university students
Prizes: US$1,000

This challenge focuses on addressing the massive amount of misinformation that has quickly spread throughout the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, with dramatic negative personal and societal consequences.

By employing a multidisciplinary approach, teams will build an intervention to reduce the spread of misinformation and increase health literacy in one Asia-Pacific country. The focus of the intervention is the development or adaptation of a technology-driven tool.

2. Global Innovation Awards Excellence in Student Design

Deadline: June 1 | Apply here
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate industrial design students enrolled in a degreegranting program at any university in North America or other countries may enter. Fall 2020 and spring 2021 graduates are eligible if the project was completed before graduation.
Prizes: Judges allocate $12,000 in cash prizes. An additional $3,000 is donated to the winners’ schools.

At The Inspired Home Show’s annual student competition display, the winning student designers meet business leaders and news media.

Housewares products are consumer goods purchased by or for the user that are portable. Your project should meet a current consumer need or be a concept for a future product. Packaging and point-of-sale presentation may be included.

3. Data Mining Cup

Deadline: June 29 | Apply here
Eligibility: Individual students and teams of students over from anywhere in the world
Prizes: 2,000 Euro for the winning team (or winner), 1,000 Euro for the second team and 500 Euro for the third team

The Data Mining Cup aims to enthuse domestic and international students for intelligent data analysis and challenge them to find the best solution to a data mining problem in competition with others.

The goal for each participating team is to create a recommendation model based on historical transactions and item features. For any given product, the model should return its five best recommendations.

4. Shark Tank of Wellness Student Global Competition

Deadline: June 30 | Apply here
Eligibility: The competition is open to both individual students and teams of students over the age of 18 from anywhere in the world
Prizes: Total value of all prizes is US$10,000

The “Shark Tank of Wellness” student competition is a unique global challenge that rewards students for their most innovative, impactful ideas for the wellness industry.

Students are invited to submit a Concept Submission Form detailing their idea along with a one-to-two-minute video presentation. The wellness industry is currently valued at over $4.5 trillion, thus providing ample opportunity for students with great ideas!

5. James Dyson Award

Deadline: June 30 | Apply here
Eligibility: Current university students of engineering, product design and industrial design – and those who have graduated in these subjects in the last four years
Prizes: National winner £2,000
International runners up £5,000
Sustainability winner £30,000
International winner £30,000 (and £5,000 for your university)

James Dyson is on the hunt for bright minds with fresh ideas from around the globe. If you have an invention that solves a problem, we want to hear about it.

This student competition is looking for designers who think differently, to create products that work better. This year the James Dyson will also looking for entries that address a sustainability issue, or have been designed, sourced or manufactured sustainably.

6. ACM Student Research Competition

Deadline: July 13 | Apply here
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students
Prizes: The top three winners in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will receive prizes of US$500, US$300, and US$200

The ACM Student Research Competition (SRC), sponsored by Microsoft, offers a unique forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original research before a panel of judges and attendees at well-known ACM-sponsored and co-sponsored conferences.

Recognizing the value of student participation at conferences, ACM started the program in 2003, but it is much more than just a travel funding program. The ACM SRC provides participants with a chance to meet other students and to get direct feedback on their work from experts.

7. CineSpace Short Film Competition

Deadline: July 14 | Apply here
Eligibility: Creators around the world
Prizes: $26,000 in total prizes

NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society are teaming up once again to host the annual CineSpace Short Film Competition, inviting filmmakers, editors, and animators from around the world to explore NASA’s digital archives and create short films inspired by, and incorporating, real NASA footage.

With over 60 years of space exploration at your fingertips – from the first Apollo flights to the latest Rover shots – your mission is to flex your creative muscles and create something truly unique.

8. A’Design Student Design Award

Deadline: September 30 | Apply here
Eligibility: Creators around the world
Prizes: A special public relations campaign will be made for the Student Design Award winners

Student Design Competition 2021 is an annual Juried Design Prize organized by A’ Design Award & Competitions.

The award aims to draw out, publicize & spur good design, designers and design oriented companies by funnelling the attention of the press, interactive media, design critics, distributors and buyers to the awardees.

🎁 Bonus opportunity! Global Essay Competition

Deadline: February 1, 2022 | Apply here
Eligibility: Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university; Born in 1992 or later
Awards: All expenses covered participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWUth5c1amA&feature=youtu.be

Meet 300 of society’s brightest young minds. Present and debate your ideas with 600 senior leaders. Be inspired by some of the world’s most impressive speakers.

Gain a unique and new perspective on this year’s topic. Become a member of a unique global community. Participate in the symposium.

Which of these student competitions are you going to apply for? Let us know in the comments below!

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