One Young World Summit 2026, Cape Town

What this is

One Young World runs the largest annual gathering of young leaders outside the UN system. The 2026 summit takes place in Cape Town from 3 to 6 November, bringing several thousand delegates from almost every country together with established figures who speak and mentor across the four days.

The important detail: how you get there

Delegate places are not free, and most people who attend do so on a scholarship funded by a partner organisation. Each scholarship is a separate application with its own deadline, criteria and sponsor — which is why you will see them advertised as if they were different events. They are all routes to this one summit.

Scholarship routes advertised for the 2026 and 2027 summits include:

• The Leading Scholarship — the general route, open to applicants aged 18-35
• Brandtech Group AI for Good Scholarship — for work using AI for social impact
• Ilia Calderón Scholarship — for young journalists and storytellers
• Sandoz Scholarship — health and access to medicine
• Roche Scholarship — healthcare and health systems

Deadlines differ substantially between them. Check each on the One Young World site rather than assuming a single closing date.

Who it is for

Broadly, people aged 18 to 35 with demonstrable work on a local or global issue. Individual scholarships narrow this considerably — a health scholarship wants health work, and a journalism scholarship wants published journalism.

What a scholarship covers

Full funding typically means summit access, accommodation, meals and travel, though the precise package varies by sponsor. Read the specific scholarship terms; "fully funded" is used loosely across the sector and does not always include flights.

Applying

Apply directly to One Young World for whichever scholarship fits your work. We do not administer these scholarships or take applications for the summit.