The ICFP 2025

Youth Trailblazer Award

The 2025 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) Secretariat is proud to support the fifth ICFP Youth Trailblazer Award!

Applications for this award are now CLOSED.

The ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award aims to amplify and highlight the voices of young leaders (aged 18-35) in the global family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SHRH) field through active planning and participation in the ICFP 2025 conference.

Those who receive the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award will be funded to attend ICFP 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia happening 3–6 November 2025. Awardees will also actively participate in planning activities for ICFP, have speaking roles at ICFP, and engage in other conference opportunities that raise the voices, perspectives, and experiences of youth in the global family planning community.

Check back soon to find out the winners of the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award!

Submission Details

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Check back soon to see the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award Winners!

To apply for the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award, young leaders must:

  • Be between the ages of 18-35 on 1 November 2025.
  • Submit an online application. Young leaders may only submit one application. Team applications are not permitted.
  • Upload a 3-minute maximum video to YouTube or Vimeo about their work and the impact they would make at ICFP 2025 (view video submission specifications below).

Deadline:

All entries must be submitted by 20 May 2024, 11:59 pm EDT.

For more information:

See the following 2025 ICFP Youth Trailblazer Application Guidelines with full rules, resources, and frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Video Submission Specifications

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Check back soon to see the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award Winners!

  • The video submission must be at least one (1) minute in length and may not exceed three (3) minutes in length.
  • The video should highlight your passion as well as experience as a leader in the family planning and reproductive health field. The video should also show your creativity and your ability to successfully convey an effective, powerful message to an audience.
  • You must speak during the video.
  • You may use photos or graphics in your video.
  • The submission must be your original work. You, the applicant, must hold all rights to every element within your video submission, including the copyright. You may get assistance from organizations or individuals (e.g., video equipment and production help), but the actual video must depict your unique qualifications as a young leader.
  • Please ensure clarity of video, image, and sound in the submission.
  • The submission must be in English, French, or Spanish. Submissions in other languages should include English, French, or Spanish subtitles.
  • In-depth audio/video equipment is not needed to create a high-quality, successful submission video. You can use devices like mobile phones or computer webcams to film the video. In the case that you do not have access to equipment or cannot, for other reasons, create a video, please contact Youth@theICFP.org. Attempts will be made to connect you with local organizations or other sources of support.
  • You may also be able to use existing material, such as previously recorded speeches as support; however, new material that specifically relates to the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer application is required and should be the focus of the video.

Video Content Restrictions:

  • The video must not contain material that violates the rights of others, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, and or intellectual property rights (including copyright, trademark, or patent right).
  • The video must not contain copyrighted music, images, footage, artwork, or videos not owned by you as an applicant.
  • The video must not contain any background music.
  • The video must not contain inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, or discriminatory materials that violate international human rights.

Use of Submitted Videos:

The ICFP Secretariat reserves the right to use all submitted videos in any way deemed appropriate in the future, including in promotional materials. Participants in this award application accept this condition and provide ICFP the right to use their entries.

For additional information and resources related to video submission specifications, please see the full ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Application Guidelines in EN, FR, and ES.

Application Town Hall / Q&A Sessions

The ICFP Secretariat and youth team hosted interactive question and answer (Q&A) sessions discussing elements related to the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award application. Please see the sessions below available in English, French, and Spanish:

English Session

Spanish Session

French Session

Meet Previous Trailblazer Winners

Get to know the amazing cohort of ICFP 2022 Youth Trailblazers who were selected from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America!

Frequently Asked Questions

For questions about the application process, please review the following FAQs as well as the full ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Application Guidelines (available in EN, FR, and ES). If your question is still not answered in these resources, please email Youth@theICFP.org.

Am I eligible to apply for the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award?

To be eligible for the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award, you must be between the ages of 18–35 on 1 November 2025. Youth from all countries are encouraged to apply. You may only submit one application. Team applications are not permitted.

How can I apply and where do I find more information?
  • Eligible young leaders should apply using this online application form.
  • All applicants are encouraged to view the full ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Application Guidelines in EN, FR, and ES.
  • Please note that this is a video award contest as described in the application guidelines.
What is the deadline for applications?

The deadline for full submission of applications is 20 May 2024, 11:59 pm EDT, including video uploading (The deadline has been extended from the previous date of 6 May 2024).

If selected, how many days can I expect to spend at the conference and where?

The ICFP 2025 Youth Summit will take place in Bogotá, Colombia on 1–3 November 2025. The full ICFP 2025 conference will take place in Bogotá, Colombia on 3–6 November 2025. Youth who are sponsored via the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award will be expected to participate in at least one ICFP Subcommittee leading up to the conference, the ICFP Youth Summit, and the 2025 ICFP.

Where can I find past examples of ICFP Youth Trailblazer videos?
What is covered if I am awarded the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award?

Young leaders awarded the ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award will receive a full sponsorship to attend the ICFP conference in Bogotá, Colombia. This includes registration to attend the ICFP Youth Summit on 1–3 November 2025 and ICFP conference on 3–6 November 2025, accommodations, and a stipend for meals.

Will I be attending the conference in person?

ICFP 2025 is scheduled to take place in person in Bogotá, Colombia on 3–6 November 2025. The 2025 ICFP Youth Trailblazer Award winners will be sponsored to attend the conference in person. As a condition of this award, winners will be required to abide by any and all regulations set by conference organizers, including protocols related to COVID-19. The ICFP Secretariat will assist all winners, to the best of its ability, to meet any ICFP participation requirements set forth by the government of Colombia, the international travel industry, and ICFP conference organizers. If a winner is unable to abide by the regulations, they may participate in the conference virtually.

If, for any reason beyond the ICFP Secretariat’s control, the 2025 ICFP cannot take place in person, ICFP Youth Trailblazer Award winners will participate virtually in the conference.

When will I be notified about the status of my application?

Winners will be notified and announced in June 2024.

Will I receive a certificate for my participation?

Yes, you will receive an electronic certificate for your participation after the ICFP 2025 conference.

The application asks me to pick from a list of skills. What if I do not fit into any of the skills listed?

As an applicant, you have the option to choose “other” and will be able list out up to three skills you have that have to do with family planning or sexual and reproductive health and rights. If you feel you do not have enough experience but want to gain some of those skills, please explain more in the open-ended question about ICFP and your skills.

What are ICFP subcommittees, and does it matter which one(s) I select on my application?

The ICFP International Steerng Committee (ISC) Subcommittees are the organized groups of community members who plan focused ICFP events and various other conference elements on specialized topics. Youth Trailblazers join these subcommittees soon after they are formed to help plan and implement ICFP activities. Trailblazers will have the choice to hear about each subcommittee before committing to one, though the selections made on the initial Trailblazer application will be taken into consideration.

Here is the list of the current ICFP 2025 subcommittees:

  1. Advocacy & Accountability
  2. Communications
  3. Demographic Dividend
  4. Faith
  5. Humanitarian & Crisis Settings
  6. Population, Health, and Environment
  7. Private Sector
  8. Program Implementation
  9. Scientific
  10. Shifting Power and Advancing Equity in Global Health
  11. Youth
My internet/country restrictions will not allow me to upload a video on YouTube or Vimeo. How else can I send in my application?

Please email Youth@theICFP.org explaining your situation. In extreme cases, we will accept videos via WhatsApp if all other methods fail.

In the application form, there is a link required for the video. Does that mean you have to first upload the video on the internet?

Yes, you must upload your submission video to the internet (either via YouTube or Vimeo) and share the link in your online application form. You will have to make the video publicly available or unlisted and downloadable so that when you submit the URL, we can access your video. If you create a password for your video, please let us know what the password is.

Create a free account on YouTube or Vimeo using the links below:

What kind of video submission is required? Is it a video of the applicant talking about family planning or skits about family planning?

The purpose of the video submission is to highlight your experience with family planning and sexual and reproductive health, your creativity, and your ability to successfully convey an effective, powerful message to an audience. You may use photos or other graphics, but you must also speak during the video.

The submission must be your original work. You, the applicant, must hold all rights to the submission including the copyright. You may get assistance from organizations or individuals (e.g., for equipment and production) but the actual video must depict your unique qualifications for this award.

Check out video examples from past Youth Trailblazer Award winners here.

I really want to apply but have no equipment to make a video. What do I do?

In-depth audio/video equipment is not needed to create a high-quality, successful submission video. Applicants can use devices like mobile phones or computer webcams to film their video.

If you do not have access to equipment or cannot for other reasons create a video, please email Youth@theICFP.org. Attempts will be made to connect you with local organizations or other sources of support. You may also be able to use existing material such as recorded speeches; however, it is encouraged that new material is added that specifically relates to the conference application.

What is the average length for the submission video?

The average length of videos is two (2) minutes.

The video submission must be at least one (1) minute and may not exceed three (3) minutes in length. Your video should be no more than three (3) minutes. Please ensure clarity of video, image, and sound in the submission for ease of visibility on multiple screen types.

What criteria is being considered in the selection of successful applicants?

ICFP 2025 Youth Trailblazer Award applications (including video submission) will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Communication Skills

  • How well does the applicant communicate their message in the video?
  • Are they able to convey their ideas with clarity, passion, and persuasion?

2. Creativity and Engagement

  • How creatively does the applicant present their message in the video?
  • Does the video capture the audience’s attention and leave a lasting impact through innovative storytelling or presentation techniques?

3. Showcasing Experience as a Young Leader

  • Does the video effectively showcase the applicant’s experience and contributions as a youth leader in the family planning and reproductive health field?
  • Do they highlight their unique experiences and accomplishments in a compelling and engaging manner?

4. Vision for AYSRHR Advancements

  • How well does the applicant articulate their vision for advancements or changes in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights (AYSRHR) that they would like to see promoted or discussed at ICFP 2025?
  • Are their ideas specific, impactful, and forward-thinking?

5. Innovative Approaches

  • How effectively does the applicant articulate their plans to incorporate innovative approaches into their proposed contribution to the 2025 ICFP?
  • Are their ideas for leveraging advancements in digital health, social media advocacy, virtual engagement, or other tools clear and impactful?

6. Skills and Expertise

  • Does the applicant provide a clear description of the skills they believe they can bring to the 2025 ICFP?
  • Are these skills relevant and aligned with the needs of the conference, such as FPNN reporting, plenary speaking, panelist roles, facilitation, storytelling, etc.?
  • Do they showcase confidence in fulfilling these roles?
I am above 35 years of age, what other options do I have to receive sponsorship to attend the conference?

You may participate as an abstract presenter. Abstract submission guidelines will be available closer to the ICFP 2025 conference date. Subscribe to the ICFP newsletter here to stay updated on the latest news and happenings (including information on topics like abstracts).

Examples of Trailblazer Roles

Throughout the planning and implementation of ICFP 2022, the ICFP Youth Trailblazers played a vital part in the success of the conference, taking on various roles, including (but not limited to):

  • Session speakers
  • Session moderators
  • Opening ceremony speaker
  • Youth Plenary organizers and speakers
  • UHC Plenary speaker
  • Phil Harvey Award winners
  • Lunch with Leaders keynote speaker
  • WHO ICFP Scientific Writing, Mentoring, & Coaching course facilitator
  • Youth Lounge organizers
  • ICFP LIVE Stage & FPNN management/support
  • ICFP press/media support
  • Power-shifting co-chair
  • Youth Pre-conference session facilitators
  • Youth Pre-conference hosts
  • Roundtable organizers & facilitators
  • Poster judges
  • Bayer Symposium moderator

ICFP 2025 Heads to Bogotá, Colombia!

Mark your calendars for ICFP 2025 taking place 3–6 November 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia! Learn More about Bogotá and all the ways Colombia is advancing family planning and SRHR goals.