The World Justice Challenge 2022 is a global competition to identify, recognize and promote good practices and high-impact projects and policies that protect and advance the rule of law

As a key component of the next World Justice Forum 2022: Building More Just Communities, the World Justice Challenge is dedicated to addressing structural inequities and governance weaknesses exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. As rule of law performance continues to deteriorate globally in the wake of the pandemic, communities are falling further behind the Sustainable Development Goals’ promise to “leave no one behind.” In order to fulfill this ambition and clear the pathway to more just communities, it is critical to identify and promote effective approaches to key rule of law challenges. The Challenge will contribute to this agenda by compiling a crowd-sourced evidence base for what works, raising its strategic visibility, and strengthening an emerging network of high quality, high impact rule of law organizations, projects and policies.

WJP invites entries that strengthen the foundational elements of the rule of law, support a just recovery from COVID-19, and tackle the root causes of societies’ persistent inability to deliver a dignified life for all. 

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About the Challenge

• Applications are due December 10, 2021 by midnight EST.

• Cash awards ($20,000 USD) will go to five initiatives that show demonstrable results and promising prospects for future progress and replication/scaling.

• The five winning initiatives will be selected in the following manner:

  • Four winners will be chosen by a committee of experienced judges under the following three Challenge themes (one winner per theme), plus one special prize:

    • Access to Justice

    • Anti-Corruption and Open Government

    • Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination

    • The Data for Justice Prize for the project that demonstrates the most innovative use of data and evidence to advance one or more of the above themes 

  • A fifth winner will be selected by a network of finalists from previous World Justice Challenge competitions 

• A committee of thematic partners will work with WJP to select thirty (30) finalists. The finalists will be profiled on WJP's website and social media to promote visibility and uptake of these promising approaches. The five winning projects will receive additional networking and visibility opportunities to support their work.

• The Challenge is being conducted in tandem with the World Justice Forum 2022, which will take place May 30-June 2 in The Hague, Netherlands and online. The 30 finalists will be invited to showcase their work at the World Justice Forum and winning projects will be announced on June 2, 2022.

Eligibility and Entry Requirements

• Initiatives addressing at least one of the following Challenge themes, as they relate to addressing structural inequities and fundamental barriers on the path to a just COVID-19 recovery, are eligible to apply: 

  • Access to Justice

  • Anti-Corruption and Open Government

  • Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination

• The competition is multidisciplinary and open to organizations worldwide, including, but not limited to: non-profits; social entrepreneurs; media; national and multilateral government agencies; local government bodies; businesses/private sector enterprises; bar associations; and law firms from any country or territory in the world.

• Applicants may submit no more than two entries.

• Collaborative entries among several organizations are welcome.

• Entries must be submitted in English.

• Entries will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Impact: the initiative has demonstrably made a material contribution to improving an important justice problem in one or more the thematic categories above

  • Sustainability: the initiative demonstrates the potential for sustained operation over time 

  • Scaling/Replicability: the initiative demonstrates potential for expansion in its current context and/or replication in other contexts (e.g. other geographies, populations or sectors)

• Please note that the World Justice Challenge is a one-time prize to recognize effective projects and policies already in progress and is not a grantmaking program for new initiatives on the drawing board. Applications seeking funding for future initiatives will not be considered.

Themes

Questions?

For any questions about the World Justice Challenge, please contact [email protected].

Download the World Justice Challenge 2021 Outcome Report (PDF)