North Carolina Youth Institute

All high school youth are invited to join us for the 2026 North Carolina Youth Institute. This year we have expanded to include a fall and spring online research mentoring sessions that culminate on April 16-17, 2026 for the in-person Institute at NC State University’s Plant Sciences Building on Centennial Campus. The NCYI is an exceptional opportunity that ignites a passion for solving global hunger through an engaging exploration of agriculture and food systems. It is an educational initiative of the World Food Prize Foundation and is designed to spark emerging leaders in developing innovative solutions for our world’s most pressing grand challenges surrounding feeding a growing population. Youth participating in this program will develop a research paper and poster on global food security, agriculture and sustainability.

The NCYI is hosted by NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program and the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and is a part of the World Food Prize Foundation’s Global Youth Institute. After completing their papers and posters, youth come to campus in the spring of each year to attend two-day institute at NC State University and share their research paper among peers, University personnel, industry guests and other experts. Hands-on workshops, field trips, keynotes and career development will round out the event.