IDP IELTS Future Award 2026 with six prizes of USD 5,000

IDP IELTS is giving six awards of USD 5,000 to people who take its English test and can say clearly what a good score would change for them. Entry is free, the form is short, and nationality is not a filter.

What you can win

Six awards of USD 5,000 each are on offer. The money is not tied to a particular university or course, which is unusual: it is meant to help you take the next step towards your stated ambition, whatever that step turns out to be.

Who can enter

The award is open to current and future IDP IELTS test takers, and it does not matter whether you sit the Academic or the General Training version. That is the one real condition. Your test has to be with IDP rather than another test centre operator, so check which organisation runs the session you have booked before you spend time on the entry.

What the entry asks for

Three steps, none of them long. You create an account on the award platform, fill in your personal details and accept the competition terms, then answer two short written questions and record a one-minute video. The questions ask what reaching your target score would mean to you, and how one of these awards would move you towards your goal. Treat the video seriously. A specific, concrete story beats a polished but vague one, because the judges are reading for what the money would actually change.

Deadline

Entries must go in through the award page before 23:59 local time where you live, on 2 October 2026. The award page also carries a list of frequently asked questions covering the finer eligibility points, and it is worth reading that before you start rather than after.