Pacific Dataviz Challenge 2026: an international competition open to Vietnamese students
- 23 hours ago
- 6 min read
The Pacific Dataviz Challenge is an annual competition that rewards clear, well-designed data visualization on a set theme. For 2026 the theme is climate change. It is run by the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Data Hub, with regional university and government partners, and it is free to enter. The main competition is open to entrants of any nationality, so Vietnamese students are eligible. Most of the larger prizes are reserved for Pacific Islanders, but two international prizes of US$1,500 each are open to entrants from anywhere. For students applying to graduate programmes or scholarships abroad, the lasting benefit is a finished, public piece of work judged by an international jury.
At a glance
Organizer | |
|---|---|
Theme (2026) | Climate change |
Who can enter | Anyone, any age, any nationality, via the main competition (Vietnamese students included) |
Cost | Free |
Deadline | 31 August 2026, 23:00 Fiji time (about 6:00 PM in Vietnam) |
Categories | Static and interactive (up to four entries) |
Prizes open to you | Two Global Mention awards, US$1,500 each (about 38 million VND) |
Working language | English or French |
Apply |
Why it matters for Vietnamese students
The challenge runs two parallel competitions. The main competition is open worldwide and is the one Vietnamese students enter. A separate schools' competition is limited to pupils enrolled in schools in Pacific Island countries and territories, so it is not a route for students in Vietnam. For a Vietnamese student, the strongest reasons to take part are practical:
A public, verifiable credential. SPC publishes the names, titles, and links of recognized work. An entry in an international, SPC-run competition is a concrete line for a CV, a LinkedIn profile, or a scholarship or Fulbright application, and a recognized entry is stronger still.
Practice on real climate data. Entrants work with official datasets on temperature, sea level, rainfall, crop and livestock yield, energy, disasters, and water access. Many of these topics are questions HAPRI studies, which is why the institute encourages students to take part.
A genuinely winnable prize. The two Global Mention awards (US$1,500 each, about 38 million VND) are open to international entrants. A student recognized in both the static and interactive categories could receive up to US$3,000.
No experience needed. Students new to data visualization can begin with free, no-code tools such as Flourish or Datawrapper, and the challenge runs two free webinars on what makes a strong entry.
Who can enter, and in what language
The official rules open the main competition to individuals or teams, whether amateur or professional, of any age, of any nationality, residing in any country or territory. A few practical points:
Alone or in a team. A team submits one entry through a designated contact person.
Working language is English or French. The entry, a short written problem statement, and any contact with the jury must be in English or French. The visualization itself may be in Vietnamese as long as an English or French version is also available, and the writing required is short (a statement of two or three sentences).
Under 18? Entrants under 18 must provide written consent from a parent or guardian at registration, using the form on the challenge website.
Prizes and eligibility
The total prize pool is more than US$15,000. Most of it is reserved for Pacific Islanders, so the table below shows what an international entrant such as a Vietnamese student can win.
Prize | Amount | Open to |
|---|---|---|
Global Mention (static) | US$1,500 (~38M VND) | International entrants, incl. Vietnamese students |
Global Mention (interactive) | US$1,500 (~38M VND) | International entrants, incl. Vietnamese students |
Grand Pacific Prize | US$3,000 + possible Bologna trip | Self-identified Pacific Islanders |
Pacific 1st / 2nd (per category) | US$2,000 / US$1,000 | Self-identified Pacific Islanders |
Pacific Youth 1st / 2nd (age 25 and under) | US$1,000 / US$500 | Self-identified Pacific Islanders |
A separate Pacific-schools-only competition has its own prizes (a Grand Pacific School Prize and three regional school prizes).
See what a strong entry looks like
The clearest way to understand the challenge is to study previous winners. Two static winners are shown below; more entries are linked beneath them.
Echoes of the Unprotected Sea by Eduardo Espana (Spain), a static winner in the 2025 Pacific Dataviz Challenge. Credit: the author, via the Pacific Dataviz Challenge.
A 2023 static entry on New Caledonia's fruit and vegetable market by Caroline Cailleton (in French), from the food-security edition. Credit: the author, via the Pacific Dataviz Challenge.
More winners worth opening:
Climate, interactive: Paying the Heaviest of the Carbon Debt Never Incurred by Nur Adhyaksa Hamid (Indonesia, 2025), a recognized entry from a Southeast Asian, non-Pacific student.
Ocean, static: Echoes of the Unprotected Sea by Eduardo Espana (Spain, 2025).
Craft to study, interactive: Women in the Pacific by Yan Holtz and Joseph Barbier (2024); Yan Holtz is also a mentor in the 2026 Dataviz All Stars webinar.
Browse all past winners: 2025, 2024, 2023, and earlier editions.
What to submit, and how to enter
Entries come in two formats: a static visualization (a poster, infographic, or factsheet, submitted as a high-quality PDF or image up to 100 MB) or an interactive one (a dashboard, website, or video at a public URL). Each entrant may submit up to four entries: a static and an interactive piece individually, and the same as part of a team.
Every entry must use at least one dataset from the official list, published through the Pacific Data Hub's .Stat Explorer. On that portal, a participant chooses a dataset, filters by country and year, and exports it (for example, to CSV). Other open data may be added, but every dataset used must be cited. AI tools (for example Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, or DeepSeek) are allowed only in a supporting role, for instance to learn a tool or debug code, not to replace your own analysis and design; an entry that is mostly AI-generated can be disqualified.
Key dates (Fiji time)
Date (Fiji time) | What happens |
|---|---|
1 June 2026 | Submissions open; theme and datasets published |
17 June 2026 | Webinar: Dataviz All Stars |
16 July 2026 | |
31 August 2026 | Submission deadline (about 6:00 PM in Vietnam) |
Steps to enter
Read the official rules.
Choose a climate question and at least one official dataset from the Pacific Data Hub.
Build the visualization in any tool. Flourish, Datawrapper, Tableau Public, Power BI, and the R and Python charting libraries are all common choices.
Write a short problem statement: two or three sentences on the question asked, why it matters, and what the visualization shows.
Publish the work. Interactive entries must stay online at a stable public address until at least 31 August 2029, so a permanent host is safer than a temporary trial site.
Submit through the application form before the deadline. Entrants under 18 attach the parental consent form.
How much time? A solid static entry is achievable in a weekend, and the three months between the opening and the deadline leave room to learn the tools first.
Questions first-timers ask
I have never made a data visualization. Where do I start?
Pick a free, no-code tool such as Flourish or Datawrapper, load one dataset from the Pacific Data Hub, and start from a template. Students may also use AI assistants such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, or DeepSeek to support the work, for example to learn a tool, debug code, or improve the wording; the rules allow AI only in a supporting role, so it must not replace your own analysis and design. Watching the 17 June Dataviz All Stars webinar first is a good way to see what strong entries look like.
Which data am I allowed to use?
At least one dataset from the official 2026 list, available on the Pacific Data Hub's .Stat Explorer. You may add any other open data on top of that, as long as every dataset is cited and you follow its licence.
Can I work in Vietnamese?
Your visualization can be in Vietnamese, but it must also be available in English or French, and the short written parts (the problem statement and any contact with the jury) must be in English or French. The required writing is brief.
What can I win as a non-Pacific entrant?
The two Global Mention prizes, US$1,500 each (about 38 million VND), one in the static category and one in the interactive category. The Grand Pacific, Pacific, and Pacific Youth prizes are reserved for self-identified Pacific Islanders.
About HAPRI
HAPRI is the Health and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. Its work turns data on agriculture, food, health, and the environment into research and policy insight, and it regards data literacy as a skill worth building early. HAPRI shares the Pacific Dataviz Challenge as a free, international way for Vietnamese students to practise that skill on real climate data.
Links
Challenge website: pacificdatavizchallenge.org
Apply / submit an entry: application form
Official rules (PDF): 2026 rules
Official datasets: Pacific Data Hub .Stat Explorer
Past winners (all editions): pacificdatavizchallenge.org/edition
Questions: datavizchallenge@spc.int
