With days to go before deadline for applications, 17-year-old Ukrainian prodigy Igor Klymenko, who developed a drone that detects landmines, says UAE students deserve to be recognised for their tireless work to build a better tomorrow.

Ukrainian teenager Igor Klymenko, the winner of the 2022 Chegg.org Global Student Prize, has urged UAE students to apply for this year’s prize, with applications closing on 2 April 2023.

Chegg.org partnered with the Varkey Foundation to launch the $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.

Igor, a 17-year-old student from Kyiv, Ukraine, moved to the countryside at the start of the Russian invasion to finish his final year of high school. Sheltered in the basement of his new home, Igor successfully completed his studies while refining the mine-detecting drone he had been working on for eight years. He was selected as the winner of the 2022 Chegg.org Global Student Prize from over 7,000 applications from more than 150 countries.

Igor believes his fellow students across UAE have made extraordinary contributions to their communities and society as a whole, and deserve recognition through the Chegg.org Global Student Prize. 

Igor Klymenko said:

“UAE 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.”

The prize is open to all students who are at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills program. Part-time students and students enrolled in online courses are also eligible for the prize. UAE students have a history of excelling in the Chegg.org Global Student Prize, with two being featured in the top 50 shortlist last year: Amiteash Paul, a 19-year-old Biology student at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and Maya Bridgman, a 17-year-old Canadian student at Dubai College, who went on to make the top 10. In 2021, UAE student Lamya Butt, currently studying at Stanford University, also went on to make the top 10 that year.

Chegg.org partnered with the Varkey Foundation to create the Global Student Prize. Dan Rosensweig, CEO & President of Chegg, said:

"2023 marks a critical turning point for some of the greatest challenges in history, and students worldwide are keenly aware of this urgency. Despite facing significant obstacles, they are leveraging their ingenuity to overcome them and create a brighter future for us all. I encourage student changemakers all over the world to apply for the 2023 edition of the Chegg.org Global Student Prize. Not only because they deserve to have their outstanding contributions recognized, but because this prize provides a powerful platform for them to share their ideas and motivate others to pursue their own dreams."

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.”

Students applying for the Global Student Prize will be assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.

Students can apply for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize at www.globalteacherprize.org and the closing date for applications is 2 April 2023.

The prize will be narrowed down to a Top 50 shortlist and Top 10 finalists, to be announced later in the year, helping provide worldwide recognition for high achieving students. The winner, announced later in the year, will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Student Prize Academy, made up of prominent individuals.

If students are being nominated, the person nominating them will write a brief description online explaining why. The student being nominated will then be sent an email letting them know they’ve been nominated and inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants can apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. To join the conversation online, follow @cheggdotorg

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