The One Club for Creativity has launched the first Young Ones Get Out the Vote brief, a new free global challenge calling on undergraduate college students around the world to come up with campaigns to drive voter participation.

The brief is global and nonpartisan in its politics, favoring no specific candidate, party, or belief.  The only objective is to increase overall voter participation in elections around the world. Top entrants win cash prizes totalling US$15,000 – Grand Prize is US$5,000; two runner-ups win US$2,500 each; and five finalists each receive US$1,000.

The competition, which is free to enter, challenges students globally to develop print, video, social media, or activation campaigns that address one of the following categories:

PARTICIPATION – Creating A Culture of Voting and Participation

• Too many young people sit out elections, not because they don’t care, but because they feel like their vote won’t change anything or the process is too confusing.  
• Entries for this category should speak directly to the excuses and doubts that keep this generation from showing up, with the goal being increased turnout.

RELEVANCE – Make Voting Relevant to Culture 

• Voting is more than a civic act. It’s a cultural one. The ideas, values, aesthetics, and identities shaping this generation should also impact on how participation looks in the world. 
• Entries for this category should define what belonging, influence, and collective power look like, and make voting feel relevant to culture.

COMMUNITY – Vote Early, Vote Together 

• Voting early is not just about convenience. It’s about momentum. When people make a plan and show up together, voting becomes a shared act that builds energy and visibility.  
• Entries for this category should go beyond just encouraging people to cast a ballot, and help turn participation into something people do with pride and intention with others.  By positioning early voting as an act that’s both social and contagious, the campaign should strive to turn a civic duty into a shared experience.

The competition is open for entry to students globally aged 18 or older who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate university program, graduate program, or portfolio program.  Recent graduates also are eligible, if their graduation date is no earlier than March 13, 2025.  A complete list of eligibility and submission requirements is available on the entry website.

Deadline for entry is August 31, 2026, with winners announced in mid-September.  While the brief is a global initiative to drive voter participation in all countries, any winning work from the US would run across digital and out-of-home placements during the final stretch of the country’s November mid-term elections.

In addition to receiving cash prizes, winners will also have their work posted on The One Club’s social channels and website, and considered for real-world placement through the club’s Out-of-Home and media partners, including potentially on digital billboards in major high-traffic areas.

Entries will be judged by a group of global creative leaders – chief creative officers, executive creative directors, and independent creatives from the world’s leading agencies and studios – who served on juries for The One Club’s 2026 One Show and Art Directors Club ADC 105th Annual Awards.  By entering, students will have the rare opportunity to get their work in front of top-level senior creative professionals.

“This generation of young people has never been both more capable of shaping what their country looks like, but also never more uncertain about whether their voice actually matters,” stated Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.  “We want to hear from the next generation of creative talent, and see their recommendations for the most effective ways to connect with the public, build community, and get more people to the polls.”

The One Club has a long history of creative activism projects that invite creatives to use their talents to address important causes, part of its mission to support the global creative community. These projects, such as the We Are One brief to promote messages of unity, hope, and resistance against intolerance and xenophobia, have resulted in social media and billboard campaigns in major markets. The Get Out the Vote brief is from the club’s Young One Student Awards and Education department.