Program Overview
Make What Matters is a global program of World Studios and Ashoka. It is an open invitation to bring an idea you want to pursue and make it real, in service of a better world. No experience required, just a desire to try.
Join us to get access to the skills, spaces, and people that help you take that first step and turn it into something you (with others) bring into the world. Make What Matters is backed by the educational institutions, experienced practitioners, and mentors ready to support you.
Make what matters — to you and the people around you — and start from wherever you are today.
Registration Instructions
Start your registration as an individual student or as a student team by clicking “Create an Account” on the left side.
Everyone works in a team of 2–6, but you don't need a team to register. Register on your own or with teammates. If you register on your own, we'll match you with peers who share your interests.
How it works
You start with an idea you can’t stop thinking about. Over six months, we will help you turn it into something real.
You investigate it closely, build a first version with a small team, and test it in the real world. We support you with a coach, a group of peers from universities around the world, and clear steps to guide you.
When you’ve built something you believe is in service of a better world, you can take it to the Make What Matters Challenge, where ideas get seen, supported, and backed.
What you’ll do and gain
- You’ll lead your own project, from first idea to real prototype.
- You'll learn a structured method to address a real challenge, build transferable skills, discover your strengths, interests, values and the kind of leader you want to become.
- You’ll join a community of students across university campuses worldwide.
- You’ll get hands-on support from the World Studios and Ashoka teams.
- You’ll finish with a real prototype and project to feature in your portfolio and at the top of your CV or resume.
- You’ll be eligible for the Make What Matters Challenge, with prizes totalling $50,000.
- And some participants go on to start a World Studios studio on their own University campus — a lasting community that outlives any single project.
Who this is for
- Every discipline belongs here. You might be studying engineering, the natural or social sciences, architecture, design, public policy, business, health, the liberal, performing, or fine arts, education — or anything in between.
- You're the kind of person who is curious, self-aware, collaborative, community-minded, optimistic, and eager to act.
Eligibility:
- Age: Young adults aged 18–25 at the time of the registration deadline (3 November 2026).
- Enrollment: Currently enrolled at a University offering Bachelor’s degrees or higher
- Language: Applications and program activities require English proficiency.
Your Commitment
- Access reliable internet for virtual video sessions and for our online collaboration platform
- Join the virtual welcome event: early November 2026
- Engage in an hour-long check-in with a Coach and regional peer group twice a month: November 2026–May 2027
- Plan for roughly 2-5 hours of project work between sessions
- Submit a completed final project: May 2027
Key Dates
- Launch the program with a community of peers during a virtual event: November 2026
- Engage with your coach and your regional peers virtually twice a month: November 2026 - May 2027
- Join the Make What Matters Challenge: February 2027 - March 2027
- Submit a completed final project: May 2027
- Make What Matters Challenge Judges panel convenes: June 2027
- Make What Matters Challenge Winners announced: August 2027
Our Partners
- World Studios - A global community of student-led studios where young adults choose their own challenges and take real risks to address them.
- Ashoka - Ashoka envisions a world where everyone is a changemaker, a world where everyone can embrace their agency, live with dignity, have the skills to solve problems, and create positive change for the common good.
