Deadline: November 1, 2026
Applications are open for the Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest 2026. Make your voice heard this fall by writing a letter to a local elected representative that explains the global issue you want them to prioritize, shows how it connects to your local community, and proposes a solution. Through this contest, students can practice global citizenship, civic action, and persuasive writing, all while exploring the underreported issues that matter to them through Pulitzer Center news stories.
The Pulitzer Center wants to read and share your letters: tell them, and the world, what’s most important to you.
Prizes
They will select one first place winner and up to four finalists for each issue category. First place winners will receive:
- $300 to support global community engagement in your classroom (prize distributed to your class teacher)
- Publication of your letter, photo, and bio on the Pulitzer Center website
Finalists will receive:
- $75 to support global community engagement in your classroom (prize distributed to your class teacher)
- Publication of your letter, photo, and bio on the Pulitzer Center website
All entrants will be invited to participate in a Pulitzer Center town hall event, held virtually in November, to share their solutions with other students from around the world.
Eligibility
- They welcome entries from all current K-12 students across the globe. Letters may be written in English and/or Spanish.
- Letters should address a topic within one of the Pulitzer Center’s five focus issues:
- Climate and Environment (Includes climate change, pollution, extractive industries, and more)
- Global Health (Includes health inequities, food security, mental health, water and sanitation, and more)
- Human Rights (Includes racial justice, gender equality, migration and refugees, Indigenous rights, and more)
- Information and Artificial Intelligence (Includes technology and society, misinformation, and more)
- Peace and Conflict (Includes war, conflict, and peacebuilding efforts)
Application
- Go to the Suggested Stories tab above and choose a story that gives you new information about an issue that matters to you. (All eligible stories are available here)
- Write a one-page letter to a local decisionmaker that answers the following questions:
- What issue do you want the local decisionmaker to address?
- Why is this issue important globally? (Remember to cite evidence from the Pulitzer Center-supported story! You are encouraged to cite additional sources throughout your letter, too.)
- Why is this issue important to your local community, and/or to you personally?
- Why are you writing to this person? What power and/or responsibility do they have?
- What do you want this person to do? Offer a solution, and cite evidence that your solution will be effective.
- You do not have to answer the questions in this order, but your letter should answer all five questions. For support writing your letter, use this graphic organizer, or see the Resources for Teachers and Students tab above.
- Submit your letter using the contest entry form. It will request some basic personal and contact information; the name and contact information for one of your teachers; and you can copy/paste your letter directly into the form.
- After submitting your letter to the Pulitzer Center, consider mailing or emailing your letter to the decisionmaker directly.
For more information, visit Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest.
