Most scholarships hand you a classroom seat. This one hands you a stage. The ICMM Young Leaders Scholarship is a partnership between the International Council on Mining and Metals and One Young World, and instead of funding a degree, it funds your place at one of the biggest gatherings of young changemakers on the planet, the One Young World Summit 2026, happening in Cape Town from 3 to 6 November.
This isn’t tied to a university subject or an academic transcript. It’s built for people already doing the work: leading projects in biodiversity conservation, decarbonisation, responsible resource production, social performance, or sustainability advocacy, whether that work happens through a job, a startup, an NGO, or something built entirely outside a formal career. Anyone between 18 and 35 at the time of the Summit can be considered, from any country, and there’s no cost anywhere in the application process. The window to apply for this round ran from 29 April to 7 June 2026, so if you’re reading this later, treat what follows as a head start on the next cycle rather than a live deadline.
The Core Facts:
- Run by: International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), delivered in partnership with One Young World
- What it funds: A fully funded delegate place at the One Young World Summit 2026
- Location and dates: Cape Town, South Africa, 3–6 November 2026
- Age requirement: 18 to 35 at the time of the Summit (older applicants considered case by case, based on demonstrated impact)
- Open to: Applicants from any country worldwide
- Application fee: None
- This round’s opening date: 29 April 2026
- This round’s deadline: 7 June 2026 (closed)
- Funding type: Fully funded , no partial or self-pay track offered
Who’s Actually Behind This:
It’s worth understanding the two organisations driving this scholarship, because it shapes what kind of applicant tends to succeed here. ICMM represents a group of major mining and metals companies working to push the industry toward better environmental and social outcomes. Its own language around this is refreshingly blunt, the organisation openly acknowledges that mining has caused real harm to people and the planet, and frames its work as an attempt to reduce that harm while still meeting the world’s growing demand for the metals a net-zero transition depends on.
One Young World is the delivery partner, and it’s the group actually running the Summit. It describes itself as a global community of 20,000 young leaders spread across more than 190 countries, built specifically to find, connect, and support the next generation of people driving change in their communities. The organisation has already put around 3 million dollars directly into grants for young leaders, so this scholarship sits inside a much larger track record rather than being a one-off initiative.
Together, that combination means the scholarship isn’t just about attending a conference. It’s ICMM using its resources to put emerging voices from resource-producing and sustainability-focused backgrounds directly in front of industry decision-makers.
What You Walk Away With:
The benefits here go beyond a plane ticket and a hotel room. Selected leaders get access to things that are genuinely hard to get any other way.
- Full funding to attend the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town, covering your participation as a delegate
- A direct, exclusive conversation with the CEO of ICMM, held on the sidelines of the Summit, a level of access most industry outsiders never get
- Lifelong membership in the One Young World Ambassador Community, which keeps you connected to a global network long after the Summit ends
- Entry into the One Young World Action Accelerator, along with mentor-led sessions designed to help you turn your existing project or idea into something more structured and sustainable
- A place in the One Young World Global Kickstart programme, built to sharpen your leadership skills and deepen your understanding of the Summit’s core themes before you even arrive
- Recognition as one of a small group selected globally for a specific area of impact, which carries weight on its own when you’re applying for future grants, jobs, or partnerships
What ties all of this together is longevity. The Summit itself is four days, but the network, mentorship access, and Ambassador status are designed to stay with you well beyond that week in Cape Town.
Do You Fit the Profile:
Eligibility here isn’t about grades or a degree, it’s about what you’ve actually built or led, and whether it fits into one of the programme’s focus areas.
- You need to be between 18 and 35 years old at the time of the Summit in November 2026
- Applicants who will still be under 18 at the time of the Summit cannot be considered, with no exceptions
- Applicants older than 35 can still be reviewed, but only if they can clearly demonstrate strong personal impact, initiative, and a genuine willingness to engage with the programme
- You need to be leading an inspiring initiative or project, or otherwise driving meaningful change, either through your job or through work outside it
- That impact needs to sit within at least one of the programme’s five focus areas, covered in more detail below
- You need to be genuinely willing to engage with fellow scholarship recipients, not just attend passively
- There’s no nationality restriction, applicants from any country are eligible to apply
The bar isn’t formal credentials. It’s evidence. The strongest applications tend to come from people who can point to something concrete they’ve actually done, not just an area they care about in theory.
Focus Areas This Scholarship Supports:
Your work needs to connect to one of the following five areas. You don’t need experience across all of them , one is enough, as long as your impact in it is real and demonstrable.
- Biodiversity conservation
- Decarbonisation
- Responsible natural resource production
- Social performance, including community resilience and human rights
- Promoting and communicating action on sustainability
If your work touches climate, environmental protection, ethical resource extraction, community rights, or sustainability messaging in any form, there’s a reasonable chance it fits somewhere on this list.
The Path to Applying:
The process runs entirely online through One Young World’s application portal, and it’s worth knowing upfront that a straightforward form isn’t necessarily the end of it.
- Applications are submitted through the official application portal linked on the ICMM Young Leaders Scholarship page
- Shortlisted candidates may be asked for extra materials beyond the initial form, which can include references, a pitch video, or a video call with representatives from both One Young World and ICMM
- Because of this multi-stage possibility, it helps to have a short pitch about your work ready in advance, even before you’re asked for one
- References should come from people who can speak directly to your leadership or the impact of your project, not just a general character reference
- Given the level of access involved, including a direct sit-down with ICMM’s CEO, expect the review process to be thorough rather than a simple one-step form submission
Why Cape Town, and Why This Summit Matters:
The choice of location isn’t incidental. Hosting the 2026 Summit in Cape Town puts the event on a continent where mining, resource extraction, and the tension between economic development and environmental protection are lived realities, not abstract policy debates. For scholarship recipients working in biodiversity conservation or responsible resource production, being physically present in that context, rather than at a Summit hosted somewhere disconnected from the industry’s actual footprint, adds weight to the conversations happening on site.
The Summit itself functions as a concentrated four days of exposure: keynote sessions, workshops, and direct interaction with a global cohort of young leaders working across every sector imaginable, not just mining or sustainability. For someone whose work has, until now, mostly existed within their own country or community, that kind of exposure tends to shift how they think about scale.
If the June 2026 Deadline Has Already Passed:
Applications for this round closed on 7 June 2026. If you’re past that date, there’s nothing to submit right now, but this isn’t a scholarship that disappears after one cycle. ICMM and One Young World have run similar young leader partnerships before, and the structure, funded Summit attendance tied to demonstrated impact in a handful of focus areas, tends to repeat annually with a new application window.
- Start documenting your project or initiative properly now, with clear evidence of outcomes, since that’s exactly what strengthens an application when the next round opens
- Identify two or three people who could speak credibly to your leadership and impact, so you’re not scrambling for references under deadline pressure later
- Draft a short, clear pitch about your work and its connection to one of the five focus areas, even a rough version now saves significant time later
- Follow One Young World’s scholarship page directly for the next announcement, since opening dates can shift slightly from year to year
- If your work touches more than one focus area, decide now which one you’ll lead with, since a sharply focused application tends to read stronger than one trying to cover everything at once
How This Compares to a Typical Scholarship:
If you’re used to reading about tuition waivers and research grants, this one requires a bit of a mental shift. There’s no coursework, no supervisor, and no degree certificate at the end of it. What you’re actually being evaluated on is track record, the projects you’ve already started, the change you’ve already made happen, however small that might look on paper. That’s a very different application to write than one built around grades or test scores, and it’s worth approaching it that way from the start.
It also means the competition looks different. You’re not being compared against people with similar academic transcripts. You’re being compared against other young leaders from completely different countries and sectors, all of whom are being judged on the same underlying question: is this person actually driving change, or just interested in it? That’s a harder thing to fake convincingly, which in some ways makes the process fairer than a purely academic scholarship, impact is difficult to manufacture on short notice.
For applicants weighing this against other opportunities, it’s also worth noting what this scholarship doesn’t offer. It’s not a long-term programme, a fellowship with ongoing check-ins, or a source of project funding for your work back home. What it offers instead is concentrated: four days of direct access, a global network that persists afterward, and a credential; Ambassador status ,that tends to open doors well beyond the mining and sustainability space specifically. If what you’re looking for is sustained funding for an ongoing project, this isn’t that. If you’re looking for visibility, mentorship, and a network that can amplify work you’re already doing, it’s built exactly for that.
Frequently Asked Questions?:
Is this scholarship for a university degree?
No. It doesn’t fund tuition or academic study. It fully funds your place as a delegate at the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town.
Is there an age limit to apply?
Yes. Applicants need to be between 18 and 35 at the time of the Summit. Those older than 35 can still be considered, but only with strong evidence of impact and initiative.
Do I need to work in the mining industry to qualify?
No. Your work needs to connect to one of the five focus areas, biodiversity conservation, decarbonisation, responsible natural resource production, social performance, or sustainability advocacy, but it doesn’t need to be tied to mining specifically.
Is there an application fee?
No, applying for the ICMM Young Leaders Scholarship is completely free.
What happens after I submit the initial application?
Shortlisted candidates may be asked for additional materials, such as references, a pitch video, or a video call with representatives from One Young World and ICMM, before a final decision is made.
Can applicants from any country apply?
Yes. The scholarship is open globally, with no restriction based on nationality or country of residence.
What do I actually get if I’m selected, besides attending the Summit?
Beyond funded Summit attendance, you get lifelong membership in the One Young World Ambassador Community, access to the Action Accelerator and mentor sessions, a place in the Global Kickstart leadership programme, and a direct dialogue with ICMM’s CEO.
When and where does the Summit take place?
The One Young World Summit 2026 takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 3 to 6 November 2026.
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