Deadline Date: May 31, 2026
The Social Impact Award is offering to support young entrepreneurs to develop early-stage ideas into viable businesses through mentoring, evaluation, and access to a global support ecosystem.
The focus areas of the program include mentoring and support for validating business and impact models, prototyping ideas, building early customer bases and followings, evaluating impact potential, degree of innovation, feasibility, and team capacity, as well as providing access to funding opportunities, recognition, participation in an annual summit, and connection to an international alumni community of social entrepreneurs.
The incubation program is designed to help young people transform their ideas into successful businesses by offering a structured environment with expert guidance and limited participation slots. The selection process ensures that only the most promising ideas are chosen based on defined evaluation criteria, creating a competitive but supportive pathway for innovation and impact.
Applicants first undergo a formal inspection where the local team reviews submissions to confirm compliance with official requirements. This is followed by a jury selection process where experts from private, public, and civil sectors assess applications according to impact potential, innovation level, feasibility, and team capacity. Selected finalists are then announced at a separate online event, where they are invited to participate in the incubation program.
All applicants receive feedback from the local team, regardless of selection outcome, ensuring that even unsuccessful candidates gain valuable insights to improve their ideas and future applications. This feedback-oriented approach strengthens learning and development for all participants.
Eligibility for the program is restricted to individuals aged between 14 and 30 years, ensuring a strong focus on youth entrepreneurship. The program accepts both unimplemented ideas and early-stage projects, provided that early-stage initiatives were created after January 1 of the previous year. However, projects that have already received significant external seed funding exceeding 6,000 euros, including angel investments, scholarships, or awards, are not eligible. Additionally, applicants cannot apply with an idea they have previously used in the incubation program or if they have won the award in earlier editions.
Successful applicants gain access to mentoring and structured support to validate their business and impact models, develop prototypes, and build their first customers and supporters. They also become eligible for recognition opportunities, funding, and participation in a global summit. In addition, participants are connected to an international community of over 1,000 social entrepreneurs across more than 25 countries, offering long-term networking and collaboration opportunities.
For more information, visit Social Impact Award.
