WPRF 2026 Youth Innovation Programmes

Participation in the WPRF 2026 Youth Innovation Programmes is subject to compliance with the eligibility and registration requirements outlined below.

1. Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be youths or young professionals, generally not exceeding thirty-five (35) years of age at the time of application.
• Participation is open to applicants residing in Nigeria and other African countries. International applicants may be considered where submissions demonstrate clear relevance to Africa or African narratives.
• Eligible applicants include students, young professionals, and independent innovators from Public Relations, Communication, Media, Technology, Creative Industries, NGOs, and Social Impact sectors.
• Participation may be individual or team-based, subject to programme-specific rules:
  • PR Tech Innovation Challenge: Teams of 3–5 members
  • PR4SDGs Innovation Challenge: Individuals or teams of up to 4 members
  • Cultural Storytelling & PR Exchange Hackathon: Teams of 3–5 members
• All submissions must be original and must not infringe on third-party intellectual property rights.

2. Mandatory Event Registration

• All applicants must register for the WPRF 2026 event via the official registration platform.
• Submission of an abstract, concept note, or hackathon entry does not constitute event registration.
• Only applicants who have completed both programme application and official event registration shall be considered eligible for participation, shortlisting, pitching, or awards.

3. Compliance & Disqualification

The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any applicant who provides false information, submits plagiarized content, fails to meet eligibility or registration requirements, or violates programme rules. All decisions of the WPRF Organizing Committee are final.

By submitting an application, applicants confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this policy.

To promote excellence, creativity, and impactful innovation among young participants, the WPRF 2026 Youth Innovation Programmes will recognize outstanding entries across all competition categories.

Subject to final evaluation by the WPRF Organizing Committee and designated judges, the proposed prize structure for each youth competition category is as follows:

• First Prize: USD 2,000
• Second Prize: USD 1,000
• Third Prize: USD 500

Prizes may be awarded in cash or equivalent value and are subject to compliance with programme rules, eligibility requirements, and successful completion of all pitching or presentation stages where applicable.