Ashoka/Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2015 for Changemakers around the globe. (€200,000 in Funding)

Application Deadline: Midnight GMT on 18 November 2015.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards were launched in 2013 to inspire and support the innovation and creativity of young people who are responding to the greatest global challenges facing us today.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards are one significant way UNILEVER wants to inspire action—that is why the search is on for young innovators aged 35 or under that have already begun to address the challenges at the heart of the Global Goals.

In partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), and in collaboration with Ashoka, are looking for innovative and scaleable technologies or initiatives that are contributing to one or more of the eight Global Goals  identified as most relevant to UNILEVERs’ business and entrepreneurs.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The competition is open to individuals from any part of the world.
• Applicants, or the the founder on whose behalf the applicant is applying, must be 18-35 years old at the time of entry.
• Entrants are required to be the initiative’s founder, co-founder, or equivalent.
• Initiatives must have grown beyond the conceptual stage—with the product, process, or enterprise already gaining traction among local communities or other markets.
• Entries cannot be accepted from current Unilever employees.
• Applications must be submitted in English. (The online programme, accelerator event and the pitch will all be delivered in English, and proficiency in written and oral English is required.)
• Solutions must relate to one or more of the UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) listed below:
  • Global Goal 1 – No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
  • Global Goal 2 – Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
  • Global Goal 5 – Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
  • Global Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and suitable management of water and sanitation for all
  • Global Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
  • Global Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
  • Global Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure responsible consumption and production patterns
  • Global Goal 13 — Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Prize Award:

• Seven young entrepreneurs will receive a total of €200,000 in funding and support to help take their sustainable solutions to the next level.
• • Six finalists will each receive cash prizes of €10,000, along with support and mentorship (worth €10,000).
  • One winner will receive a €50,000 cash prize and will be awarded the HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize at an event in London in Spring 2016 and €25,000 worth of support and mentoring.
• The prize package includes funding, customised expert mentoring support, access to an online business development programme, a two-day accelerator workshop at the University of Cambridge, and networking with senior executives and sustainability leaders at Unilever’s headquarters. 
• All entrants will benefit from exposure to a range of leading sustainability experts, entrepreneurs and investors during the process, along with recognition via Unilever’s global channels and the networks of the University of Cambridge and Ashoka.

Timeline:

• Applications open : September 23, 2015
•  Deadline for All Applications : November 18, 2015
•  Finalists Announced (March 2016)
• Finalists Pitch to Judges (April/May 2016)
• Prize Ceremony in London (April/May 2016)

Apply Now for the Ashoka Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Ashoka Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards