Two numbers
Where the region stands.
13.9%
of Arab merchandise exports go to other Arab countries.
Within the regionOutside the region
What would a more connected region look like?
Arab Monetary Fund, 2024 · up from 12.7% in 2023
~60%
of the Arab region’s population is under 30.
Yet young people rarely get to design the institutions that will shape their future.
UNFPA Arab States
The gap between those two numbers is part of why this competition exists.
Our region remains deeply fragmented. Its future will be lived disproportionately by a young generation. We want that generation to help imagine what greater cooperation could look like.
The challenge
Understand the Challenge.
Reimagine What Comes Next.
Identify one significant challenge facing the region, and propose a practical form of cooperation that could address it.
How your 1,500 words should be spent
A guide, not a hard limit
25–30% — understanding the challengeThe underlying causes, interests and institutions that have allowed it to persist.
70–75% — the solution and what comes nextThe mechanism, actors, financing, obstacles and first steps.
01
Diagnose the system
Understand the underlying causes, interests and institutions that have allowed the challenge to persist.
02
Find the regional opportunity
Ask what becomes possible through cooperation that individual countries cannot achieve alone.
03
Design the path forward
Turn that understanding into a concrete proposal: the mechanism, actors, financing, obstacles and first steps.
Nine pathways
Where to look.
- 01Peace, Security & Conflict Prevention
- 02Trade, Investment & Entrepreneurship
- 03Transport, Tourism & Mobility
- 04Education, Research & Culture
- 05Jobs, Skills & Labour Mobility
- 06Climate, Water, Food & Energy
- 07Technology, AI & Digital Infrastructure
- 08Migration, Displacement & Human Security
- 09Palestine and Regional Peace
These pathways are illustrative, not restrictive. All are judged against the same criteria, and no pathway is weighted more heavily than another. The competition does not require any particular political position, and the jury will neither reward nor penalize proposals for their orientation — it assesses the quality of the design.
What you submit
- 01What is the challenge? — 300 words
- 02Why is it regional? — 200 words
- 03What is your idea? — 425 words
- 04How would it work? — 375 words
- 05Where do we start? — 200 words
About 1,500 words in total, plus a 150-word summary and a short author note. One PDF or Word file, in Arabic, English or French.
Who can apply
- —Aged 18–35, or 16–17 with guardian consent
- —Nationals or residents of the 22 League of Arab States members, diaspora included
- —No degree or policy experience required
- —Individuals or teams of two to four; cross-border teams compete for a dedicated award
- —You keep full ownership, and may submit under a pseudonym
- —Free to enter at every stage
Judging
The rubric,
published in advance.
Every submission is read by two independent screeners, scored in the language it was written in. Divergent scores go to a third reader. Jury members are announced during the review period and recuse themselves from any author they know.
Scoring weights
Out of 100
More than half the score rests on whether the idea is new and whether it could be built.
Timeline
Four dates.
15 SEP 2026
Submission deadline
23:59 Cairo · 20:59 UTC
8 OCT 2026
Results announced
Twenty finalists, the top ten and the overall winner
OCT – DEC 2026
Regional Integration Lab
Finalists develop proposals with mentors and experts
MARCH 2027
Publication launch
10 Ideas for a More Connected Region, in Arabic and English
Awards
Winning is not the end.
First prize
The overall winner
- A fully funded place in an ALI delegation to a major regional policy forum
- Six months of mentorship toward implementation
- Executive education with a partner institution
- Publication and introductions to relevant institutions
Top ten
Published authors
- Published in 10 Ideas for a More Connected Region
- A place in the Regional Integration Lab
- ALI leadership development and mentorship
- Opportunities to present to policymakers
Special award
Cross-border collaboration
- For an outstanding proposal by a team from two or more countries
- Shared equally; all members receive the Top 10 package
- Because cooperation should be practised, not only written about
Questions
Before you write.
I am a student — can I participate?
Yes. Students at any level are welcome, undergraduate through doctoral, and you do not need to be enrolled anywhere at all. The competition is equally open to people who have never attended university.
Can I participate as a team?
Yes — teams of two to four people. Every member must meet the eligibility criteria, and one member submits on the team’s behalf with all authors named. Teams whose members come from two or more countries are automatically considered for the Cross-Border Collaboration Award, which is shared equally among them.
Do I need policy experience or a degree?
No. We are looking for good ideas and clear thinking. Many strong proposals will come from engineers, civil servants, entrepreneurs and community organizers who have never written for government.
Can I submit more than one proposal?
No. Each person may be named on one submission only — either as an individual or as part of one team, not both.
Can I submit in Arabic and be competitive?
Yes. Arabic submissions are read and scored in Arabic by Arabic-speaking judges against the same rubric, and are particularly encouraged. You are not judged on elegance of prose or academic register — plain, clearly organized language is an advantage in all three languages.
Do I have to be living in the Arab region?
No. Nationals and long-term residents of the 22 League of Arab States members are eligible wherever they currently live, including the diaspora.
What makes a proposal “regional” rather than national?
Cooperation between countries has to be the mechanism, not a side effect. A national reform with regional spillovers does not qualify. Ask yourself which two, three or four countries would have to act together for your idea to exist at all.
Can I write about a challenge in my own country?
Only if the proposal is genuinely about cooperation across borders. Your country can be the starting point or the first mover — it cannot be the whole design.
Can I write about Palestine?
Yes. Palestine and Regional Peace is one of the nine pathways, judged against exactly the same criteria as the others. You may also engage Palestine within any other pathway — reconstruction finance, mobility, education, water, energy or humanitarian protection. The competition does not require any particular political position.
What if my idea is politically difficult?
Most good regional ideas are. Name the political objection to your own proposal and answer it. Honesty about obstacles raises your score under “Feasibility and pathway”; ignoring them lowers it.
Can I submit an idea I am already working on?
Yes, provided the written proposal is original and has not been published before. You may continue developing, pitching or implementing the idea elsewhere at any time, including while the competition is running.
Who owns my idea?
You do, entirely. Submitting grants ALI a non-exclusive licence to review your proposal for the purposes of the competition, nothing more. Publication happens only with your separate written consent.
Can I use AI tools?
For language support, translation, editing and background research — yes, with disclosure in your author note. Not to generate the substance of your idea. Shortlisted authors take part in a short live conversation about their proposal before final selection.
What format should my submission be in?
A single PDF or Word file of approximately 1,500 words (±10%), answering the five questions, plus a 150-word summary and a short author note outside the word count. Any legible font at 11–12pt. Submissions may be made under a pseudonym. No design or branding required — presentation is not assessed.
Will I receive feedback?
Every submission that reaches the jury stage receives short written feedback. Given the expected volume, we cannot provide individual feedback on submissions that do not pass initial screening.
Is there an entry fee?
No. Participation is free at every stage, and there are no costs to finalists for the Regional Integration Lab.
Where are the full rules?
In the Terms of Reference: eligibility, the full rubric with descriptors, the selection process, team rules, and our data, privacy and intellectual property commitments.