Tag Archives: awards

AFRICA’S BUSINESS HEROES PRIZE COMPETITION (1.5 MILLION USD IN GRANT FUNDING)

Application Deadline: April 28, 2026.

LOCATION: Rwanda

The Prize Competition is an annual initiative aimed at supporting and empowering entrepreneurs across Africa. Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) is dedicated to identifying, supporting, and inspiring the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are driving impact in their communities, tackling pressing challenges, and building a more sustainable and inclusive economy.

ELIGIBILITY:

As an inclusive initiative, ABH welcomes applications from entrepreneurs:

Across all African countries, sectors, and age groups

With businesses that are formally registered, headquartered in Africa, and have a track record of at least three years.

In English and French

To be eligible for the ABH competition, you must meet the following criteria:

Founder or Co-founder—You must be the founder or co-founder of the business.

African Identity—You must be an African citizen or a direct descendant (child or grandchild) of an African citizen.

Business Presence in Africa—Your company must be registered, headquartered, and primarily operating in an African country.

Proven Market Traction—Your business must have at least three years of revenue and demonstrated market traction.

It is free to apply! You can create a free profile and begin your application here.

You can apply as many times as you like, but your business must show continuous growth and improvement each time you reapply. Just make sure that you are eligible based on the criteria each year. 

The Requirements of the Application:

Complete and submit ALL mandatory questions in the online ABH application.

Record and upload a video introduction of yourself that is a maximum of 1 minute 30 seconds.

Nominate a reference who can provide details on your character, leadership, and achievements.

BENEFIT:

Learn about yourself & business

Receive invaluable feedback

Develop skills to tell your story

Join an entrepreneurship ecosystem

Access exclusive mentorship and training

Gain global recognition & exposure

Pitch to business legends and win your share of USD $1.5 million:

1st Prize Winner$300,000
2nd Prize Winner$250,000
3rd Prize Winner$150,000
Other Top 10 Finalists (7)$100,000
Training Opportunities$100,000
APPLY

CLIMATE LAUNCHPAD GREEN BUSINESS IDEAS COMPETITION

Application Deadline: 15th May 2026

LOCATION: Singapore

Join the world’s largest green business ideas competition powered by Climate KIC to turn your green idea into a successful start-up. Have an idea for a greener future? This is your place to start.

ELIGIBILITY:

To enter the competition, submit your idea or innovation with environmental impact. We’ll help you fast-track that idea into a business and bypass all possible pitfalls along the way.

Note: Applications are now open globally!

Climate Launchpad is built for early-stage climate innovators, especially if you’re at the idea or concept stage.

No company yet? No funding? No finished product? No problem. If you have a climate solution you want to explore, this is where you start.

Their free programme guides you step-by-step through the fundamentals of building and testing a climate venture, in a supportive, global community designed for first-time founders.

The Programme:

Mini-course: After you apply, you’ll unlock our online climate entrepreneurship course covering climate basicssystems thinking, and entrepreneurial mindset.

Boot Camp: Selected teams join an interactive virtual boot camp with expert trainers to strengthen their ideabusiness model, and pitch.

Follow-up coaching and National Finals: You’ll receive targeted coaching to test assumptionsrefine your story, and prepare to pitch.

Regional Finals: The Top-3 teams from each country advance to pitch online against the strongest start-ups across Africathe Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Regional Finals: They bring together our worldwide community of climate innovators, including National Final winners and top regional teams, to celebrate bold ideas and breakthrough solutions.

Themes: 8 competition themes:

They work with eight competition themes, representing a selection of the most pressing and relevant focus areas of our time in our fight against climate change.

This ensures that ideas are judged equally against their peers by industry experts, ensuring that the best of the best rise to the top.

The selected themes for this year:

Adaptation & Resilience

Blue Economy

Circular Economies

Clean Energy

Food Systems

Sustainable Mobility

Urban Solutions

The Next Big Thing

BENEFIT:

National Final
First Place Winner: Trip to Singapore

Includes:

Return travel for one representative from the first-place winning start-up from their nearest capital city to Singapore

2-nights hostel accommodation

Invitation to an official networking event

Ticket to attend the ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Final in Singapore

A booth at the event innovators fair where they can showcase their products/services

First & Second Place Winners: Trip to Singapore and the chance to pitch at the Global Grand Final

Includes:

Return travel for one representative from the winning start-up from their nearest capital city to Singapore

2-nights hostel accommodation

Invitation to an official networking dinner

Ticket to attend the ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Final in Singapore

A booth at the event innovators fair where they can showcase their products/services

Pitching spot at the Global Grand Final as one of the Top-8 start-ups

Important Note:
If a start-up wins both 1st place in their National Final and qualifies through the Regional Finals, only one trip will be awarded.

What you can expect:

Free to join, there are no programme fees

No equity taken; you stay 100% in control

You keep full ownership of your ideas and intellectual property

Hands-on boot camp training and expert coaching

Opportunities to pitch and gain visibility at National, Regional and Global Finals

Access to a global community of climate innovators and like-minded individuals

The global top-8 pitch live for cash prizes in front of an international jury.

The ClimateLaunchpad 2026 Global Grand Final takes place in Singapore.

APPLY