The 2025 prizewinners | Leadership for Change Prize | The Economist Educational Foundation

The Leadership for Change Prize offered students the chance to submit their “Projects for Change” as part of a global competition between September 19th and November 24th 2025. Three winning entries were selected by a panel of judges and there were a total of three prizes to be won, included funding and mentorship to turn students' projects into a reality.

This year, students used the Leadership for Change curriculum to address challenges regarding media literacy in their own communities. The quality of the competition entries was extremely high and we were thrilled to see students apply the practical skills they'd developed to a pressing real-world issue.

Announcing the winners

Eager Readers, India

After surveying their peers, students realised that although most teenagers want to stay informed about the news, many rely on social media and struggle to differentiate what is real from what is fake. They also noticed how rarely rural India appears in mainstream coverage, despite nearly half the population living in villages.

This gap inspired them to explore how they could help young people access more trustworthy and representative stories. By collaborating with the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), students aim to bring authentic rural news to their community through engaging short-form social-media content.

"I love that they did a survey. And the idea of collaborating with an existing institution, but providing social-media smarts that it lacks to boost awareness and distribution, is a good one." – Tom Standage, Deputy Editor, The Economist

Download pitch (PDF)

Leadership for Change 2025 winning pitch - Pierce, The American College of Greece

Pierce, The American College of Greece, Greece

Melina, Anastasia and Ariadni led their year group in creating a project that aims to tackle how online misinformation and cancel culture can affect students’ emotional wellbeing. Inspired by real experiences within their school and rising concerns about cyberbullying in Greece, they set out to raise awareness and promote a more thoughtful digital culture.

After organising an awareness event with expert speakers, students plan to run a “Think before you link” campaign to promote fact-checking and compassion in their school community, helping students to reclaim digital spaces.

"An engaging pitch which aims to solve a clear problem that affects your fellow students. The project seems ambitious, and I like the idea of combining the live event with a strong digital campaign." – Georgia Banjo - Britain Correspondent, The Economist

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Leadership for Change 2025 winning pitch - Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School

Taipei Municipal Neihu High School, Taiwan

After noticing how often their peers shared unverified posts and how rapidly rumours spread in their school community, students developed “Truth Detectives” - an interactive game to help young people recognise and challenge online misinformation.

Players will investigate suspicious posts, fact-check clues and decide whether to “spread or stop” content. By transforming media literacy from an abstract concept to a practical skill, the students hope they will inspire their peers to become leaders in the fight for truth.

“A great idea that’s very relevant, and would get lots of people involved." – Ludwig Siegele - Senior Editor, AI Initiatives, The Economist

Download pitch (PDF)