The Empowered for Peace “Ideas to Impact” Challenge
STARTS: 1 July 2025
ENDS: 30 September 2025
Inspiring Young Minds to Change the World
We're inviting primary schools around the globe to be part of something extraordinary — a free, creative, and impactful challenge that puts problem-solving and peace-building at the heart of the classroom.
The Empowered for Peace Challenge empowers children aged 8 to 12 to answer one big question: “How would you make the world a better place?
Imagine a world where everyone feels safe, happy, and included—what’s one idea that could help us create that world?
No Entry Fees – Just Big Ideas
At Empowered for Peace, our mission is to support the journey of powerful ideas—from imagination to implementation. That means helping young change makers take their ideas all the way from concept, to feasibility studies, and even to the desks of venture capitalists for potential funding and real-world impact.
Because of this, we don’t charge any entry fees. We believe every child’s voice deserves to be heard—regardless of financial background.
Endorsed by Peter Skillman - The Spaghetti Challenge
“The Empowered for Peace Ideas to Impact Challenge creates the foundation for young minds to work together more effectively on a goal that has deep purpose: building a better world. The challenge has always been to drive awareness of how teams can work together to drive the best outcomes. Leadership in this context is about inclusion and leveraging the intellect of even the most reserved people. Through trial and error and embracing early, rather than late failure, you succeed sooner.”
Children from around the world are invited to take part in this global ideas generation challenge.
Why should your students participate?
When young minds come together to share, brainstorm, debate, and collaborate, they don’t just generate ideas—they grow as leaders. This challenge is a powerful opportunity to nurture the next generation of change makers.
All participating schools will be listed on the Empowered for Peace website amplifying young voices on a global stage. The Top 5 ideas worldwide will be featured on the website with an article about the participating school.
The FINALISTS will be reviewed by an esteemed judging panel to select the Top 5 global ideas. The Top 5 global ideas will move up the Empowered for Peace Innovation Pyramid for feasibility studies and potential funding for real-world implementation.
Our young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow—they are the creators of today.
To take part in the challenge, see the 6-step submission guidelines below:
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Decide which classes or year groups (ages 8–12) will take part.
Choose a date and time for the challenge session — it can take place any time between 1 July and 30 September 2025.
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Let students know they’ll be taking part in a global change makers challenge — with schools from around the world.
Explain that their class will submit their Top 5 Best Ideas to the Empowered for Peace Challenge and published on the Empowered for Peace website.
Tell them the Top 5 Global Ideas will be shared up the Empowered for Peace Innovation Pyramid for further exploration and possible development.
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Present the challenge question:
How would you make the world a better place? (Imagine a world where everyone feels safe, happy, and included—what’s one idea that could help us create that world?)Ask students to self-select into groups — they can partner with a friend or form small groups of 3–5.
Have each group sit together (in class or even outside!) and begin brainstorming.
Remind students that ALL ideas are welcome in this first stage. No idea should be dismissed.
Students are to write down, or record, all their ideas.
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After the session, transcribe the recordings and/or gather the notes to extract all the ideas the students came up with. (Remember, it’s not up to just one person to decide which ideas move forward for voting—sometimes the most powerful ideas are hidden from our conditioned minds. Let the children decide!)
This process ensures every voice and suggestion is honoured in the next phase.
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In the following week, bring the students back together to vote.
Present them with the complete list of ideas generated in the challenge session.
Each student gets 10 votes to cast for their favourite ideas. They can use all 10 votes on one idea, or spread them around.
(Voting can be done on paper or electronically, depending on your school’s preference.)
The top 5 highest-voted ideas will be your class or school’s official submissions.
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Once your students have chosen their Top 5 Best Ideas, they must be submitted online via the Empowered for Peace website.
Submissions are due by 30 September 2025.
Click here to access the submission form.
That’s It!
Thank you for supporting your students to be part of this global, world-changing initiative.
VOTING – ROUND ONE
All submissions will be reviewed by our Review Panel—made up of the Empowered for Peace Challenge Team and affiliated experts—to identify the Top 100 ideas. These will then proceed to Round Two. We may also play a WILD Card, because sometimes the most brilliant ideas are hidden.
VOTING – ROUND TWO
The Top 100 ideas will be reviewed by our Global Judges Panel, a diverse group of leaders from around the world, with the goal of selecting the Top 5 global ideas. The judges will be looking for ideas that have the potential to produce real measurable outcomes that improve lives and create a better future. They will take into account the potential scope of impact—how many people the idea could impact positively locally, nationally and globally.
To ensure fairness and integrity:
All judges will sign a confidentiality agreement prohibiting them from disclosing any submission details.
Judges will recuse themselves from evaluating ideas where a conflict of interest exists (e.g., if they are affiliated with a submitting school or student).
Judges will not discuss their scores with anyone—including other judges.
The final Top 5 winners will only be revealed when announced by the Empowered for Peace Challenge Team.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The Top 5 global ideas will be announced to the world on our website and shared with high school and university students, who will create feasibility studies to explore how these ideas could work in the real world.
We are committed to doing all we can to bring these ideas to life—through partnerships, funding, and implementation—so together, we can create a safer, happier, and more inclusive world.
Abraham Lincoln