Deadline Date: May 31, 2026
The Social Impact Award incubation program offers young changemakers a structured pathway to transform early-stage ideas into impactful social ventures through mentorship, community support, and competitive recognition.
The program focuses on evaluating and supporting ideas based on potential impact, degree of innovation, feasibility, and team capabilities, while also emphasizing mentoring for business and influence model validation, prototyping, early customer development, access to funding through the Social Impact Award, recognition opportunities, participation in the SIA Summit, and connection to a global alumni network of social entrepreneurs.
This incubation initiative is designed to support young individuals in developing socially driven business ideas into viable ventures. It provides participants with structured guidance and expert feedback to help refine their concepts and move them toward implementation. The program ensures that selected applicants gain access to resources that strengthen both their entrepreneurial mindset and practical execution skills.
Applicants first undergo a formal application review conducted by local program staff to confirm eligibility and alignment with the program’s criteria. This is followed by an evaluation by a multidisciplinary jury composed of experts from private, public, and civil society sectors. The jury assesses applications primarily on impact potential, innovation level, feasibility, and team strength. Finalists are then announced through an online event, after which selected participants are invited into the incubation phase.
Beyond selection, the program emphasizes continuous learning and improvement by providing feedback to all applicants, including those not selected as finalists. This ensures that even unsuccessful candidates gain insights to refine their ideas for future opportunities.
Eligibility for the program is limited to young entrepreneurs aged between 15 and 30 years old. Both unimplemented ideas and early-stage projects are accepted, provided that early-stage initiatives were created after January 1 of the previous year. Projects that have already received significant external philanthropic funding exceeding 3,000 Euros are not eligible. Additionally, applicants cannot reapply with the same idea if they have previously participated in the incubation program or won the Social Impact Award.
Successful participants benefit from mentoring support that helps them validate their business models, develop prototypes, and build early user and customer bases. They also gain access to the opportunity to compete for the Social Impact Award, which includes funding, recognition, and entry to the annual SIA Summit. Furthermore, participants become part of an international alumni community of over 1,000 social entrepreneurs across more than 25 countries, enabling long-term networking and collaboration.
For more information, visit Social Impact Award.
