The SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development

Application Deadline: March 31st 2015

Is your enterprise in a start-up phase and does it integrate social and  environmental benefits, solving pressing local issues? Is it women-led?  Do you need support to help to establish and grow your enterprise?

The SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development is an annual awards scheme designed to find the most promising, innovative and locally-led start-up social and environmental enterprises in countries with developing and emerging economies. The independent SEED International Jury of experts selects enterprises which have the potential to make real improvements in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability while contributing to a greener economy.

SEED Award Winners must:

a) demonstrate entrepreneurship and innovation

b) deliver economic, social and environmental benefits

c) intention and potential to become financially sustainable 

d) a partnership between different stakeholder groups

e) locally driven or locally led f) potential for scale up or significant replication

g) in the early stages of implementation

h) in a country with a developing or emerging economy

Support for Award Winners

	Tools: self-help tools that help enterprises prioritise and address their most urgent needs, for instance by assisting with market analysis, developing a funding strategy, mapping stakeholder relationships, and developing Memoranda of Understanding with partners.
	Capacity Building: one-on-one advisory service that offers Winners assistance with their business and financial plan, including a 3-day in-country workshop, webinars and remote advisory through the SEED and In-Country Advisors.
	Profiling: SEED Winners are profiled nationally, regionally and internationally through a high-level SEED International Awards Ceremony with senior government and UN officials, development, support, and financial institutions as well as through marketing and promotional activities such as our website, blog and social media channels.
	Network Building: SEED facilitates contacts between its winning start-ups and support organisations, funders, policy-makers, other enterprises such as SEED Alumni, and SEED Partners and Associates.
	Financing: SEED provides a financial contribution of USD5,000 to each SEED Winner to cover the enterprise’s most pressing needs which are set out in a support plan agreed with SEED.

How to Apply:

There are two ways to apply for a 2015 SEED Award:

OR

Selection Process

1. Submission of Application Form – 2 February until 31 March

You can apply online or you can download an application form and email it to [email protected]

2. Selection of Shortlisted Candidates – April

An internal selection team will process the applications in order to compile a shortlist of the most promising enterprises.

3. Submission of Additional Information – April until Mid-May

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide the following additional information:

• Business plan – even if it is only a draft
• Letter from each partner explaining their relationship to the lead organisation
• 3 references from people in external organisations familiar with the enterprise
• Photographs and any other relevant visual material
• Evidence that the enterprise is women-led for the SEED Gender Equality Award

4. Selection of Winners – Mid-May until Mid-July

Based on the applications and the additional information, Winners will be selected by the independent SEED International Jury of external experts in sustainable development.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship 2015