GEORGETOWN FUTURE SHAPERS CHALLENGE
Shaping the Future with New Technologies
Emerging technologies are transforming every aspect of daily life, from how people learn and work to how they access healthcare and connect across borders. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and digital platforms all hold immense potential to improve quality of life. Yet these innovations also bring challenges, including questions of accessibility, responsible use, and the need for common standards.
This GFSC theme invites young leaders to explore how innovation can be guided to serve the public good and strengthen collaboration among G20 nations. The focus is not only on developing new tools but also on ensuring they are used in ways that expand opportunity, support wellbeing, and deepen connections between societies, without leaving society’s most vulnerable behind.
ABOUT US
The Georgetown International Relations Association is proud to host the second annual Future Shapers Challenge virtually involving middle school and high school students. The Future Shapers Challenge is an annual two-round innovation competition that encourages young people across the world to help design an innovation that will positively impact relations between G20 countries.
Each year, teams of 2-5 students from junior high and high schools in the G20 countries will help design and present an innovation that serves to help improve the relationship between the G20. Through the Georgetown Future Shapers Challenge, students will learn more about the often undiscussed intersection between foreign policy and other areas of study, including the humanities and sciences.
Allow students to discover unique approaches to collaboration between the G20 countries.
TIMELINE
Registration Deadline — February 8, 2026
Preliminary Round Submission — April 19, 2026
Finalists Announcement — May 1, 2026
Final Round Submission & Pitch — May 16-17, 2026
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
CHALLENGE CATEGORIES
Categories: The five categories for the Georgetown Future Shapers Challenge 2026 are Education, Smart Infrastructure, Digital Culture & Exchange, Energy, and Telehealth & Remote Medical Services. Your innovation to strengthen the bond between the G20 countries should follow fit into one of these categories.
Education
Education remains a pertinent focus of technological development, spurred by the onset of the pandemic and subsequent calls for remote education resources. However, several issues have mired the fulfillment of this goal: digital divides motivated by increasing socioeconomic stratification, a lack of access to adequate digital training for educators expected to poot these tools into practice, and little to no training in basic digital skills among youth worldwide. The emergence of artificial intelligence and popularization of distance learning conducted online also require a renewed focus on harnessing the potential of technology to transform formal education as we understand it, for now and and beyond. Innovators must make ethical, sociocultural, and economic considerations as they reconcile these factors toward creating adaptable, tech-friendly educational frameworks.
Smart Infrastructure
While technological innovations have created many business opportunities for entrepreneurs, many countries have lagged behind the innovation curve, continuing to depend on archaic infrastructure unfit for the 21st century. From inefficient public services to aging public transportation systems, governments have a chance to radically improve societal welfare through large investments in artificial intelligence and the newest technologies. However, significant risks—financial or otherwise—prevent many from researching potential new advancements in smart infrastructure, pushing many bright minds to opt for more profitable careers in the private sector. The development of smart infrastructure is thus contingent on resolving the incentive misalignment that creates a bottleneck in innovation, but also promoting more robust collaboration between governments and innovators. Overall, the aim of smart infrastructure is to create more livable, inclusive, and sustainable communities, but what that exactly means remains a mystery.
Digital Culture & Exchange
With the advent of globalization, humanity is able to connect with different cultures more easily than ever before. The transmission of diverse values and traditions not only allows global citizens to better understand and appreciate each other, but also provides the intellectual training to create more out-of-the-box and culturally sensitive solutions to global issues. However, challenges have also arisen from this rapid exchange of practices. Notably, smaller cultures often see their ways of life becoming dominated by more visible cultures, while other cultures continue to be excluded from the global marketplace of ideas due to deficiencies in technology and internet connection. Innovators must identify ways to ensure that the digital exchange of identities becomes more inclusive and impactful around the world, while fomenting support from both the private and public sectors to maximize the impacts of these efforts.
Energy
Energy lies at the core of economic development, climate action, and social equity, shaping the way communities live and thrive. Advances in renewable energy, battery storage, and hydrogen technologies are accelerating decarbonization efforts, enabling societies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining reliable power for growing populations. At the same time, ensuring energy access for underserved communities remains a pressing challenge, as unequal infrastructure and economic barriers prevent millions from benefiting from modern energy systems. As grids and energy networks become increasingly digitalized, cybersecurity emerges as a critical concern, with threats to infrastructure posing risks to both economies and public safety. Innovators must navigate these technical, social, and security challenges to create energy systems that are sustainable, inclusive, and resilient for generations to come.
Telehealth & Remote Health Services
Telehealth and remote health services have the potential to transform access to care by reaching individuals who cannot easily visit doctors in person, such as older adults, people with disabilities, and those living in rural or underserved communities. While G20 countries vary widely in their healthcare systems, all face challenges in ensuring timely and affordable medical support for these populations. Through digital platforms, AI-assisted diagnostics, and remote monitoring tools, innovators can deliver high-quality care across distance and circumstance. Expanding telehealth strengthens both individual wellbeing and collective resilience, providing new ways to manage chronic conditions, address mental health needs, and respond quickly to public health crises.
INNOVATIONS FROM PAST CHALLENGES
Business
Increasing educational opportunities for entrepreneurship competitions amongst young scholars from G20 countries;
Hosting cross-sector international conferences among G20 countries that allow individuals to share their opinions on ongoing international issues;
Proposals on governmental policies that eliminate barriers among international cooperation of public and private cooperation among G20 Countries.
Film
Increasing partnership between G20 Countries in film production;
Pop artist collaboration between G20 Countries;
Preserving and sharing artistic traditions of smaller ethnic groups within G20 Countries;
Sponsoring film festivals among G20 Countries.
Health
Cooperation in research and development in biotechnology and bioinformatics among G20 countries;
Cooperation in disease control among G20 countries;
Establishing companies that are dedicated in foreign direct investment in health-related industries;
