Tag Archives: international competitions

2026 GCSP PRIZE FOR INNOVATION

Application Deadline: Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at 23:59 UTC+2. 

LOCATION: Switzerland

Apply for the 2026 GCSP Prize for Innovation. Launched in 2015 as part of the GCSP’s Creativity and Innovation Initiative, the GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security recognizes groundbreaking contributions that address the world’s most pressing security challenges.

ELIGIBILITY:

Open to all disciplines and sectors, the prize highlights the most inspiring and original achievements of the year—whether through new initiatives, technological innovations, research publications, or institutional accomplishments.

The prize is awarded for projects by any individual, group of individuals, or organization (from private or public sectors) that contribute to global security and have been submitted for consideration according to these rules and regulations.

Submissions may come from any country, but the projects should go beyond national borders in their reach or thinking and seek to address global security in innovative ways or through new ideas. A broad range of projects could qualify for consideration, including, but not limited to, technological and conceptual innovations, original research, or grassroots initiatives.

The prize is intended to encourage and recognize excellence in contributing to new approaches to enhancing sustainable global security.

The prize is awarded by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), as part of its Programme for Geopolitics and Global Futures, under the Creativity and Innovation Initiative.

Employees, staff, current fellows, and current participants of the GCSP, as well as their family members, are not eligible participants. For the above categories to be eligible participants, a period of 1 year since the termination of the relationship with the GCSP must be respected.

All entries must be submitted via the online submission form in order to be considered for the prize and shall include:

A project abstract of 250 words maximum;

A well-developed project description, which should not exceed 750 words in length;

A description of the technical process of the project submitted (if applicable);

An estimate of the budget required for the project;

An explanation of how the project provides a novel contribution to the field of global security;

A description of the short-term and long-term impact of the project in the field of global security;

A declaration stating whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, including generative AI, agentic AI, and multimodal tools and applications, were used in the preparation of any part of the submission and, if so, which tools were used and how.

 Up to five image files (optional).

BENEFIT:

The first-place laureate receives a CHF 10,000 cash prize and a certificate of excellence in recognition of their outstanding contribution to global peace and security. 

Second- and third-place recipients will be honoured with certificates of recognition, while two additional projects will receive honourable mentions.

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2026 FNF AFRI GREENPITCH CHALLENGE

Application Deadline: 30 June 2026

LOCATION: Kenya

Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa and GreenCape, in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), invite innovators and entrepreneurs with economically viable green economy solutions to enter the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge. This exciting Afri edition expands the original GreenPitch Challenge, running annually since 2017 in South Africa, into Southern and East Africa.  

ELIGIBILITY:

Sector: Your green economy solution should be placed in one of the following green economy sectors: Circular economy and waste, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable mobility, water and wastewater.

Business phase: Your green economy solution needs to be in at least the pre-growth (registered, trading, and sales-generating—looking for funding) phase. 

Geographic location: Your business can be based within the following countries: Botswana, eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania

Innovators and entrepreneurs with economically viable green economy business solutions in the following sectors: Circular economy and waste, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable mobility, water and wastewater.

The business idea has to be pre-growth (registered and trading, with sales—looking for Series A funding). 

Enter your pre-growth (registered, trading, and sales-generating—looking for funding) green business solution to stand a chance of pitching to a panel of esteemed judges and investors at “Shark Tank-style” networking events to be hosted in Kenya (Nairobi) and South Africa (Cape Town) in September 2026. 

GreenCape and Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa, supported by FNF Africa, offer their support to innovators and entrepreneurs in the green economy landscape. 

BENEFIT:

The winner and finalists of the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge will be awarded a range of cash and in-kind prizes to the value of ~$20 000 (Southern Africa).

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