The third year of the Leadership for Change Prize, in partnership with Rolex, gives students the chance to see their work published in The Economist.
The Economist Educational Foundation, in partnership with Swiss watchmaker Rolex, has launched the Leadership for Change Prize 2026. This free five-lesson curriculum and global competition explores one of the challenges facing young people today: how to build meaningful human connection in a digital age.
The World Health Organisation has identified loneliness as a global problem, linking it to poorer mental and physical health. Leadership for Change moves beyond familiar debates about screen time and social media, encouraging students to examine the root causes of loneliness through structured discussion, debate and collaborative problem-solving.
The programme combines a fully resourced five-lesson curriculum, a live lesson featuring special guests and a global writing competition. Students will investigate how technology, culture and community shape human connection before developing original ideas to strengthen their own communities.
For the first time, the winning article will be published in The Economist. The winner will also receive feedback from an editor at The Economist, £1,000 to bring their idea to life and the opportunity to present their work to global experts.
Flora Letanka, CEO of The Economist Educational Foundation, said:
“We are proud to build on the success of Leadership for Change with our most ambitious programme yet. As technology transforms the way young people communicate, helping them understand what meaningful human connection looks like has never been more important. Through discussion, debate and real-world problem-solving, the Leadership for Change prize gives students the opportunity to explore complex issues, develop original ideas and share them with a global audience.”
Arnaud Boetsch, Director of Communication & Image at Rolex said:
“Rolex is happy to reconduct the Leadership for Change partnership with The Economist Educational Foundation for a third consecutive year. Inspiring the next generation of leaders, fostering the transmission of knowledge between generations, and celebrating human achievement remain essential goals for us as a company and we are proud to support this programme which shares the same objectives.
The curriculum launches on September 15th 2026. The live lesson will take place on October 22nd 2026 and the competition closes on January 10th 2027.
For more information about the Leadership for Change Prize 2026, please visit https://talk.economistfoundation.org/prizes/leadership-prize-2026/.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ROLEX. The Economist Educational Foundation maintained full editorial control.