At the heart of this visionary initiative lies the Call for Code Global Challenge - a dynamic four-month global competition that unites developers, human rights experts, and specialized teams in a shared mission: to engineer solutions for some of the world’s most urgent issues. Backed by the United Nations and an expansive coalition of tech leaders, including IBM, The Linux Foundation, sponsors, celebrities, and global organizations, th e challenge transcends borders, drawing submissions from nearly every country. Each year, this grand mobilization of talent underscores the belief that technology, when guided by purpose, can bring real change to the world’s mos t pressing challenges.

The pinnacle of the competition is the coveted Call for Code Global Prize. The winning team, selected by an eminent jury featuring a former U.S. President, United Nations leaders, industry authorities, and coding luminaries, is awarded $200,000 at a celebrated event held at the United Nations in New York. But beyond the prize, the true honor lies in the opportunity to partner with IBM and key ecosystem partners, to bring their solution to life on a global scale. This distinction, often referred to as “The Nobel Prize for Developers,” epitomizes the transformative power of innovation when championed by a worldwide community.

To mobilize developers worldwide, David Clark understood that he needed more than just a compelling vision—he needed a formidable coalition of organizations and stakeholders that could ignite the tech community’s desire for social impact. Convincing the United Nations of Call for Code’s transformative potential was a milestone; with the UN’s endorsement, he sought a purpose-driven, globally influential company as a “Founding Partner” that would embrace the mission of elevating developers as the true “change agents they are.” After an exhaustive, international search, Clark found an ideal partner in IBM, whose history of visionary projects aligned seamlessly with the initiative’s ambitions.

With the UN’s backing, Clark approached IBM’s senior leadership, who recognized the audacious scale of Call for Code and saw its resonance with the company’s legacy of groundbreaking innovation—after all, IBM was the company that helped put a man on the moon. The partnership was immediate and wholehearted, as IBM grasped the powerful humanitarian role developers could play through Call for Code, and how aligning with such a cause could positively shape both their business and the tech community at large.