Launching next week with £40,000 to invest in young people
ACT's Bright Future Prize is ready and set to return, searching the globe for young people with aspirations to make a difference to communities and the world around them – with a prize fund of £40,000 waiting to be won.
Applications open next week on the ACT website. So, if you know young people with big dreams to make a difference, make sure they know the Bright Future Prize could be the perfect opportunity to turn their bright ideas into a reality!
Empowering young people worldwide
First launched in 2021, Bright Future Prize is an international competition led by Ardonagh’s independent charity, ACT.
To date, over £140,000 has been awarded to teenagers stretching from Brazil to Ireland and from South Africa to Australia. Now, once again, we are set begin a fresh search for young people with big dreams – and to help make them come true.
Everything you need to know to enter
The ACT Bright Future Prize 2025 will officially launch on Wednesday 4 December, when the applications go live on the ACT website.
Applications are open for two weeks – closing on Friday 20 December.
The prize is open to young people aged 15 to 21-years-old based in any country where The Ardonagh Group has a presence*, including:
| Australia | Italy |
| Brazil | Netherlands |
| France | Portugal |
| Germany | South Africa |
| Greece | Switzerland |
| Ireland | UK |
* Please note: direct relatives of Ardonagh employees are not eligible to apply for the prize.
There are four prize categories, each connected to a different way that young people can make a difference, with our winners sharing the £40,000 prize fund to invest in their bright ideas.
Your Community
Making a difference to the people and society around you.
This category is all about the people you share your world with – whether that’s by location or a network you are connected to. Your idea might be related to a societal issue, health, education, wellbeing or something else that is important to your chosen community.
Your Planet
Protecting the environment and taking a stand against climate change.
Perhaps your bright idea is about caring for the world we live in – nature, wildlife, or the climate. Your project might support green spaces, enable new ways to live sustainably, provide solutions to energy, or something else to protect the Earth’s future.
Your Vision
Driving positive change through technology, innovation or entrepreneurship.
This is all about harnessing new ways to create lasting positive impact. Your project might centre around a new technology, use advocacy to drive change or use entrepreneurial spirit to enable a better and smarter way to live and engage with the world.
Your Passion
Empowering more people to access what you love, sport, music, the arts or beyond.
Sharing your passion means even more people can enjoy, learn and benefit from it too. Maybe you want to improve access for those who are less able to take part, promote outreach, or further inclusivity so that even more people can experience what you love.
How our former winners have spearheaded change
Since the prize’s inception, we’ve grown a community of 30+ Bright Future Alumni, winners and finalists from the past three years. Together, they represent seven different countries and all with their own unique aspirations to lead change, but what unites them is drive and passion.
Here’s just two examples of how through their determination, and support from ACT, our Alumni have gone on to achieve great things!
Driving a positive future for youth
Kagiso lives in Phake in South Africa. His entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds and has founded his own community development project called 'Kagiso Kgatle Foundation'. Through the foundation, Kagiso works to inspire young people in his community to develop their leadership skills and support them to reach their personal goals.
Since reaching the shortlist of Bright Future 2024, Kagiso has worked closely with several schools in his local area, established a board of like-minded young people and in October even attended an event to feed into the creation of a new national policy to support children and teenagers to better access education.
Making music accessible to more
A passionate musician, Grace was a finalist in our first ever Bright Future Prize in 2021 when she was working alongside local Suffolk charity SMART to help more young people to access music lessons and events. Fast forward three years, and she has since graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music and is now on the path to becoming a professional trumpeter. Still with community at heart, Grace is part of several projects, including being a mentor at National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain.
Learn about all our fantastic Alumni on the Bright Future Prize page of the ACT website.
Stay tuned for the launch of Bright Future Prize 2025
Here’s where to head to make sure you stay up to date on Bright Future Prize 2025.
- Follow ACT on Instagram and Facebook where you can find us @ardonaghCT.
- Keep an eye on the ACT website. The application form will go live on the Bright Future Prize page on Wednesday 4 December.
- Get in touch with the ACT team by contacting info@ardonaghtrust.org
