What is the Milton and Rosalind Chang Career Exploration Prize?
The Milton and Rosalind Chang Career Exploration Prize encourages recent Caltech graduates to explore new career paths through innovative projects that have meaningful societal impact. The Chang Career Exploration Prize can provide up to $65,000 in financial support for career exploration projects that last from six to 12 months.
Recipients are encouraged to deliberately take a break from their current professional paths to fearlessly explore diverse interests and develop new skills.
Who is eligible to apply?
Caltech alumni who have received their BS, terminal master’s degree, or doctorate from Caltech within the past 10 years are eligible to apply. If you are currently enrolled as a student at Caltech at any time during the proposed career exploration period, or are a current student in the 2023 academic year, you are not eligible to apply.
* Your project must entail taking a deliberate break from your current professional path to explore a new career path.
How do I apply for the Chang Prize?
When the application cycle is open, you must submit your application using the Caltech Alumni Prizes & Awards Portal.
The nomination period is currently closed.
When should I begin my project?
If you receive a Chang Prize, you are expected to begin your project in spring 2023, after signing a prize agreement. You should complete your project within six to 12 months of the project start date.
How will project proposals be evaluated?
The Chang Prize is awarded at the discretion of Caltech and administered by the Caltech Alumni Association. A selection committee comprising Caltech alumni will convene to select the Chang Prize recipient(s). Proposals will be evaluated by the committee. Your project proposal should entail a deliberate break from your current professional path to explore a new career.
Your proposal will be evaluated by:
- Merit: Is the proposed project compelling and innovative?
- Knowledge Gained: Will you gain valuable experience, engage in professional development, or pursue a career path outside of academia by undertaking this project?
- Feasibility and Risk: Allowing for a generous amount of risk-taking, could you complete the proposed project within a year, based on your available time and resources? Will you have sufficient resources to fulfill all the obligations that come with receiving the Chang Prize?
- Need: Would receiving this prize make a substantial difference in your ability to explore a new career path, take a risk, and complete your project?
- Impact: Does the proposed project have the potential to make a positive impact on society?
Additional Rules and Guidelines:
- You must adhere to the Caltech Honor Code at all times.
- You may submit only one project for the Chang Prize each year.
- You may be selected as the recipient of the Chang Career Exploration Prize one time only.
- Prizes will not be awarded in a given year if no submitted project is deemed viable.
- The Chang Prize is not intended to provide one-time funding for startup companies or to act as an angel investment/funding.
- The Chang Prize is not intended to be a grant to continue an existing project or to serve as emergency assistance for an individual or company.
- All application materials must be submitted online through the Caltech Alumni Prizes & Awards Portal. The committee cannot accept submissions via mail or email. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Submissions by alumni who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
- Chang Prize recipients will complete a project agreement and submit quarterly project updates on mutually agreed upon dates. Select project updates, not all, may be posted on the Caltech Alumni website to share samples of Chang Prize career exploration work and progress.
When will recipients of the Chang Prize be announced?
Recipients of the Chang Prize will be informed in the spring.
Questions?
For questions about the Chang Prize, contact info@alumni.caltech.edu.
