Compete

Note. Verify before planning around this. The programme's own Changemakers pages still describe the 2023 entry period, which closed 2 November 2023, and its awards summit in April 2024. No 2026-27 cycle was found on any first-party page during this check. Third-party scholarship sites list assorted future deadlines that could not be corroborated. Prudential previously ran this as the Spirit of Community Awards before rebranding, so the programme has changed shape before. Contact Prudential or check changemakers.com before assuming it is running.

Scholarships and challenges Business

Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Awards for young people using financial or social innovation to solve a problem in their community.

Run by Prudential Financial with Ashoka

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.
The programme set eligibility by age, not grade.
Eligible ages
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
Historical rule from the 2023 cycle: individuals aged 14 to 18 when applying, and not older than 18 by the end of the entry period. Not confirmed as current.
Individual or team
Individual · Not confirmed
Where it runs
Online · United States
Entry cost
FreeNo fee was described.
Registration deadline
Set locally, not published as a single national date No current deadline found. The last confirmed entry period closed 2 November 2023.
Competition dates
Applications in autumn and winter, selections announced in spring, summit in the following months.
Difficulty
CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
Prizes
Award funding plus a summit experienceSources conflict badly and none is current. One describes 25 winners at $5,000 each, split 20 societal and 5 financial, with one further $5,000 per category; another describes 10 national winners at $15,000 plus 100 state honorees at $5,000. Two Early Entry Awards of $1,000 were offered for early applications. Do not rely on any of these figures.

What Prudential Emerging Visionaries is

Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognises students aged 14 to 18 who have created a solution to a financial or societal challenge in their community. It succeeded the long-running Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and shifted the emphasis from volunteering hours toward innovation and measurable impact. Selected visionaries receive awards, a summit experience and ongoing support.

How the competition works

You apply online describing the problem you identified, what you built or organised, and the impact it has had. Applications are reviewed for innovation, impact and the applicant's leadership. Selected visionaries receive award funding and attend a summit, with a smaller group receiving larger top awards.

Eligibility notes

Open to students in the United States. Check the current cycle's specific residency and age requirements, which have varied between editions.

How to register

  1. Check the current cycle's eligibility and deadline on the official page, since the programme has changed structure between editions.
  2. Document your project's impact with concrete numbers before you apply. Impact evidence is what distinguishes applications.
  3. Complete the online application within the window.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Social or financial innovation
  • Measuring impact
  • Written application
  • Community organising

Recommended resources

Frequently asked questions

Does my project need to be about money?

Not necessarily. The programme covers financial and broader societal challenges, so community projects addressing social problems are within scope. Check the current cycle's framing, which has shifted between editions.

How is this different from the old Spirit of Community Awards?

Emerging Visionaries emphasises innovation and measurable impact rather than volunteer service hours, which was the focus of the earlier Prudential programme. Applications that describe a solution built and its effect do better than those listing hours served.

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