2021 Global Mayors Challenge: RSVP and apply by 21 March

If your city has a ground-breaking idea, it can now submit it to the Global Mayors Challenge and get the chance to win 1 million dollars for its implementation

This year, Bloomberg Philanthropies has unveiled its first ever Global Mayors Challenge. Today, people all over the world are united by the circumstances in which they find themselves. That is, no matter where you might be, you too have – in one way or another – been affected by the pandemic.

For this reason, the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge will focus on ideas pertaining to COVID-19. More specifically, the Challenge will assess the most ambitious and innovative plans to combat the pandemic and help cities recover.

Who is eligible?

All cities with a population of over 100,000 people are eligible to take part in the Challenge. To do so, they must RSVP online and submit a completed application by 21 March. This application must consist of an original, imagined or already launched idea.

Bloomberg Cities explains that the submitted ideas will be judged based on four criteria: vision, impact, transferability, and implementation. In other words, the candidates’ ideas must tackle pressing issues and have the potential to significantly improve the lives of citizens. Taking this further, they must also be transferrable to other cities and have a clear, viable path for implementation (such as support of stakeholders/citizens).

Challenge timeline

The competition was launched on 11 January and cities all around the world were invited to RSVP and participate. Since then, they have been encouraged to learn more about the Challenge via virtual convenings with global experts. Now, to reiterate, cities have until 21 March to submit their ideas.

In June, once all applications have been reviewed and assessed, the finalists will be announced. That is, 50 cities (and therefore 50 ideas) will be chosen to advance in the competition. From June until October, the finalists will be given access to funding and experts who will help them improve their ideas.

Once they have done so, the shortlisted cities will be expected to submit their final and updated proposals in October. At the end of this year, 15 Grand Prize Winners will be chosen and announced. Moreover, they will each be awarded 1 million dollars (837,925 euros) to implement their ideas.

From January 2022 until December 2023, these 15 cities will receive expert support to ensure the successful implementation of their ideas and to help transfer them to other cities around the world.

2021 Global Mayors Challenge video

To participate in the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge, RSVP and submit your application on Bloomberg Cities’ website here.