Cornell RANA Prize Application

The R-Adhikarya “Niche” Award (RANA) empowers students to pursue innovative thinking in their studies and careers with a focus on Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. The $10,000 prize to a graduate student in Global Development recognizes young visionaries who dare to think differently. The prize will provide financial assistance to a matriculated Ph.D. student in the Department of Global Development who is interested in studying and solving important contemporary problems and/or futuristic societal needs/wants not currently being considered or significantly addressed by others. Note: Global Development will seek to award admitted MPS students during odd years (i.e. 2025) and Ph.D. students during even years (i.e. 2026). If a Development Studies PhD student is awarded the prize, the funds will be prioritized as a summer stipend source and the graduate field will top off the prize to the full summer stipend amount.

The application period for the 2026 RANA Prize is now open to PhD students, applications will close November 20, 2025.

The winner will be announced by December 5, with funding available by mid-late December. Please note that this will be the final year of funding for the RANA Prize.
 
Important Update to the Application Process
Starting immediately, applicants for the RANA Prize will no longer fill out individual fields on the online form. Instead, you must submit a single combined PDF file that includes all required materials listed below.
 
Your PDF should include:
  1. Personal contact information (name, email address, nationality, country of current legal residence).
  2. Current CV that includes relevant personal details and contact information.
  3. Vision/idea statement: Describe your project or idea, and what it is your project will contribute to or achieve. Your vision statement may have professional, societal and personal aspects to it and should describe how you plan to achieve it. How does the RANA Prize fit into your plans? (Not to exceed 500 words).
  4. Describe why your idea is innovative: What unique or disruptive ideas are contained within your vision? (Not to exceed three sentences.)
 
UPLOAD YOUR RANA PRIZE APPLICATION HERE: RANA PRIZE APPLICATION SUBMISSION FORM