The NewNow is a leadership initiative run by One Young World with the support of Virgin Unite. Each year it selects a small cohort of ten emerging young leaders from the Global South who use systems-thinking and collective action to tackle complex global challenges. Selected leaders receive a fully funded scholarship to attend the One Young World Summit — in 2026 hosted in Cape Town, South Africa — and join the organisation’s lifelong ambassador community, gaining visibility, mentorship and collaboration opportunities that extend well beyond the Summit itself.
Benefits & funding
- A fully funded scholarship place at the One Young World Summit Cape Town 2026 (3–6 November 2026). As a One Young World scholarship this covers Summit access, shared hotel accommodation and catering for the duration of the Summit, and the cost of travel to and from the Summit.
- Lifelong membership of the One Young World Ambassador Community.
- Features across One Young World and Virgin Unite channels, plus media and speaking opportunities.
- Access to the Global Leadership Programme and the Action Accelerator.
- Exclusive capacity-building workshops and collaboration with fellow cohort members.
Eligibility
- Aged 18–30.
- A national of a country in the Global South.
- A demonstrated record of successful, impactful leadership initiatives.
- Understanding of local and global issues that require systems-thinking, with a proven track record of applying systems-thinking principles and evidence of impact on complex challenges.
- Willingness to collaborate with other members of the cohort.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Republic of the Congo
+ 122 more
Côte d'Ivoire · DR Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Uruguay · Venezuela · Afghanistan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jordan · Kuwait · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · North Korea · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Philippines · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Turkmenistan · UAE · Vietnam · Yemen · Fiji · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Nauru · Papua New Guinea · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu
Age requirement
18–30 yrs
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Application process
- 1Review the eligibility criteria on the official NewNow page.
- 2Complete and submit the online application through the official application portal linked from that page.
- 3Shortlisted candidates are assessed and ten leaders are selected for the cohort.
Program timeline
Applications open
Nov 6, 2025
Application deadline
Feb 16, 2026
One Young World Summit Cape Town begins
Nov 3, 2026
Summit ends
Nov 6, 2026