ChallengeUS' co-founder, Brandon Tran, was recognized as one of 10 Youth Civic Solutions Prize awardees at the National Conference on Citizenship this past week in Washington D.C. The award, and its accompanying $1,000 grant, was administered by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Centered around the the theme of "Renewing Civic Health," this year's National Conference on Citizenship attracted hundreds of leaders from around the country representing dozens of industries — politics, tech, local and national media, education, nonprofits, federal government, advocacy, academia, philanthropy, consulting, and more. Some notable speakers and guests included former Democratic Congresswoman Rep. Val Demmings, former Republican Congressman Rep. Rodney Davis, and Michael Smith (CEO of AmeriCorps).

Taking place at the Planet Word Museum, the conference featured a full day of panels, lectures, film screenings, networking events, award ceremonies and workshops — including one led by Brandon and the other student winners. One particular discussion that stood out to Brandon was the one between Katherine Maher, the CEO of NPR, and Sam Feist, the CEO of C-SPAN, on the role of media in a societal landscape that increasingly faces distrust from the public, the viral nature of social media, and the dissemination of misinformation. In his words, "This was really the first time I had the direct opportunity to hear from the leaders and stewards of our media institutions what they think of their own industry. People like Katherine Maher and Andrew Feist are decision-makers in their space, not the usual opinion-makers we hear from, and that vantage point was fascinating. Again, these weren't pundits and personalities. These were the executives behind the pundits and personalities."

That panel was just one of many moments at the conference aimed at "renewing civic health" in the United States. The day culminated with an award ceremony, where winners of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars' Youth Civic Solutions Prize were recognized alongside leaders like Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was unable to attend but accepted the award with a video recording.

With the momentum and support following this opportunity, we at ChallengeUS are perfectly positioned to successfully execute our upcoming Winter competition cycle. We're also excited at the prospect of continued partnership with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars as well as all the incredible connections we made the conference.