About the Global Youth Institute
The Global Youth Institute is a week-long academic conference held in Des Moines, Iowa, each October. Since 1994, nearly 4,000 student delegates have participated. The conference centers on innovative efforts of young leaders to tackle global food security challenges. During the Global Youth Institute, student delegates selected from Youth Institutes share key findings and recommendations from their research with international experts and their peers in roundtable discussions. Students have the opportunity to connect with other global leaders to discuss challenges, share ideas, and develop solutions for a more sustainable and food-secure world.
Date: October 21-23, 2025
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Eligibility: High school students must participate in a state/national Youth Institute and be selected as a delegate to attend the Global Youth Institute.
Benefits of Participating
Students who participate in the Global Youth Institute have the opportunity to:
- Present their research papers on a critical aspect of food security, and discuss their findings with international experts and their peers in roundtable discussions. Each discussion group of seven to nine students is led by distinguished global leaders in science, industry, and policy. Student papers are subsequently published in the Global Youth Institute Proceedings and are available online.
- Connect with other student leaders from around the world to discuss global challenges, share ideas, and identify solutions to these programs. Through immersions in local agricultural sites, interactive group activities and meaningful conversations, delegates will better understand global issues and solutions.
- Attend the Borlaug Dialogue, an international symposium on global food security issues, which brings together international experts and policy leaders from around the world.
For questions about this transformative program, please reach out to: Ellen Lupkes, elupkes@worldfoodprize.org.