Global Student Prize winner calls on Indian students to apply for 2023 prize

London, March 28 (PTI) Ukrainian teenager Igor Klymenko, the winner of the USD 100,000 Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2022, called on Tuesday students in India to apply for this year’s prize ahead of the mid-April deadline.

The 17-year-old student from war-torn Kyiv moved to the countryside at the start of the Russian conflict to finish his final year of high school from the basement of his new home while also refining the mine-detecting drone he had been working on for eight years.

Klymenko believes his fellow students across India have also made many such extraordinary contributions to their communities and society that deserve recognition through the Global Student Prize.

“Indian students are working tirelessly both in and out of the classroom, to build a better tomorrow. They deserve international recognition for their amazing achievements, and that is why I strongly encourage them to apply for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2023,” Klymenko said.

The prize is open to all students at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills programme.

Part-time students, and those enrolled in online courses, are also eligible for the prize.

Indian students have a history of excelling in the Chegg.org Global Student Prize, with three being featured in the top 50 shortlist last year: Oshin Puri, a 22-year-old student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh; Shreya Hegde, a 19-year-old from Bangalore; and Anagha Rajesh, who went on to make the top 10.

“2023 marks a critical turning point for some of the greatest challenges in history, and students worldwide are keenly aware of this urgency,” CEO & President of EdTech firm Chegg, Dan Rosensweig, said.

“Despite facing significant obstacles, they are leveraging their ingenuity to overcome them and create a brighter future for us all,” Rosensweig added.

Chegg.org partnered with the Varkey Foundation to launch the USD 100,000 sister award to the Global Teacher Prize in 2021.

Now in its third year, the award was created as a powerful platform to highlight incredible students who are making a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers, and society beyond.

Kerala-born Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, said, “Both the Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize were created to highlight the essential role that education plays in finding solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges – from climate change to global health emergencies to growing inequality.”

“Policymakers must never lose sight of the importance of education, and it must be top of the agenda. It is the key to facing the future with confidence,” Varkey added.

Students can apply for the 2023 Chegg.org Global Student Prize at GlobalTeacherPrize.org before the closing date for applications- April 16.

The prize will be narrowed down to a top 50 shortlist.

The winner, announced later in the year, will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Student Prize Academy, comprising prominent individuals.