Schuman Challenge

The Schuman Challenge is the annual foreign affairs contest for undergraduate students in the United States organised and hosted by the EU Delegation to the U.S. in Washington D.C. The Challenge provides an opportunity to present and defend EU-U.S. policy recommendations on a specific theme in front of a panel of judges. The competition takes place over two days in spring and includes an evening reception with foreign policy professionals.

In 2025, the competition comprises two rounds: a preliminary round for all teams to present their policy proposals, followed by a second round, the finals. Three teams from the first round proceed to the final round. During their 10-minute presentations, each team (3-4 students) highlights their actionable proposals and then participates in a 10-minute Q-and-A session with the judges.

To prepare for the competition, undergraduate students conduct original research, cite sources, and prepare to present and defend proposals on a provided topic. As part of the competition, participants present their ideas, mingle with like-minded peers, and engage with brilliant minds in the world of international affairs, often including the EU Ambassador to the United States. There are also opportunities for networking with EU policy officials, and alums of graduate programs in international relations.

To read more about this project, click here.

The Schuman Challenge is funded by the European Union.

Current Iteration

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2025 Edition

The 2025 Schuman Challenge will take place from April 10-11, 2025 in Washington D.C. at the EU Delegation to the U.S.

The challenge question is “Artificial Intelligence as a Key Technology: A Shared Initiative for the EU and U.S. vis-à-vis China”.

The tasks are to:

Propose a joint EU-U.S. initiative,
Make recommendations, and
Use a specific example or case study.

Your proposals, recommendations and examples will be delivered in a 10-minute team presentation.

The European Union (EU) and the United States (U.S.) share a strategic interest and a mutual responsibility to collaborate on the development, regulation, and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Given the potential of AI technologies, participants are invited to propose a joint EU-U.S. initiative that addresses the opportunities and challenges posed by China's growing influence in AI.

Universities wishing to participate in Schuman Challenge 2025 are encouraged to register their interest as soon as possible. For more information and to confirm your institution’s interest, please contact the competition organisers, W!se (Working in Support of Education) at [email protected]. You can also register your university directly at: https://survey.lamapoll.de/Schuman-challenge-1

The topic brief and reading list for the 2025 competition can be found here.

Past Iterations

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2024 Edition

The 2024 edition of Schuman Challenge took place from April 4-5 at the offices of the EU Delegation in Washington, D.C.

The assigned question focused on enhancing EU-U.S. engagement with the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. The competition featured a record 29 participating universities from 18 U.S. states. Congratulations to all of the teams for their impressive presentations!

The winners: