World Affairs Challenge
Impact
WAC gives young people the tools they need to put their ideas into action.
Students don’t have to wait until they are older to make a positive difference in their communities.
Explore past winning WAC presentations below:
2025
2025 Winning Projects
2024
2024 Winning Projects
The students say it best:
WAC inspires its participants to work together for the betterment of their communities and sets teams on a path toward meaningful global citizenship and community involvement. Through project-based learning, participants gain critical, transferable skills like leadership, project management, and collaborative problem-solving while embracing the interconnectedness of the world in formulating their solutions. Some of the transferable skills that our students practice are:
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Project and time management
- Adaptability and cultural awareness
- Public speaking
- Research
- Civic engagement
WAC in the News
CKC Onitsha defeats US, Turkey schools to emerge champion in World Affairs Challenge
4/10/24 • Jubilation erupted this morning in Onitsha, Anambra state as Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha made history for Nigeria having emerged victorious at the prestigious World Affairs Challenge (WAC) 2024!
Virginia WAC team invited by White House master gardener to plant 2025 White House garden
4/1/22 • The Scholé Center for Innovative Education focused their WAC project on sustainable farming practices, and their proposal earned them the honor of planting this year's White House kitchen garden!
Colorado Students In World Affairs Challenge Team With Peers Half A World Away
4/1/22 • Students from Longmont's Sunset Middle School teamed up with peers in Uganda to learn how to grow food more sustainably through the 2022 World Affairs Challenge (WAC)!
WAC by the Numbers
Over 2500 students have participated in WAC since it became part of WorldDenver in 2021!
Evaluation data from 2021-2023 from both Teachers/Team Leaders and Student self-assessments show increases in knowledge of Essential Skills after participating in the World Affairs Challenge:
History
The World Affairs Challenge was created by the Center for Teaching International Relations (CTIR) in 1992 as part of what is now the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. It started as a community outreach program to educate students and teachers about global issues. Over time, the annual competition has grown to a full program, involving students, teachers, community members, and communities across the globe who work together to tackle real global issues. Since 1992, we have helped more than 8,000 middle and high school students become invested global citizens. In 2021, CTIR merged with WorldDenver, where the World Affairs Challenge will continue to grow and empower more students around the world to use their ideas to improve their communities!