Call for Applications

2014 Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards (€200,000 in financial and mentoring support)

June 24, 2014

Application Deadline: 1 August 2014

Open to anyone aged 30 or under, Unilever is looking for scalable and sustainable products, services or applications that reduce environmental impacts, improve health and well-being or enhance livelihoods through changes in practices or behaviours.

The Awards, run in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)(Link opens in a new window), and in collaboration with Ashoka(Link opens in a new window), offer seven young people a total of more than €200,000 in financial support and individually tailored mentoring. The overall winner also receives the prestigious HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize.

All seven finalists take part in an online development programme and then participate in a two-day accelerator workshop at Cambridge University, UK, where they receive expert help and professional guidance to help them develop their ideas.

Eligibility

The competition is open to individuals 30 years old or younger, from any part of the world.

Innovations must have grown beyond the conceptual stage—with the product, process or enterprise already gaining traction among local communities or other markets. Entries must change behaviour to enable sustainable living.

Entries cannot be accepted from current Unilever employees, nor can entries promote Unilever or its products.

Applications must be submitted in English. (The online programme, accelerator event and the pitch will all be delivered in English—proficiency in written and oral English is required.)

Solutions must relate to one or more of the categories listed below:

Improving Health & Well-Being

water, sanitation and hygiene
nutrition

Reducing Environmental Impact

water scarcity
greenhouse gases
waste
sustainable agriculture

Enhancing Livelihoods

smallholder farmers
opportunities for women
micro enterprise

Prizes

Six finalists will receive cash prizes of €10,000, along with support and mentorship (worth €10,000).
One winner will receive €50,000 cash prize and will be awarded the HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize at a prestigious dinner event in London in January 2015 and €25,000 worth of support and mentoring.

All 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 global networks of the University of Cambridge and Ashoka.

The Awards are hosted online at Ashoka Changemakers a community that connects social entrepreneurs around the globe to share ideas, inspire, and mentor each other. Applications must be submitted by midnight (BST) on 1 August 2014 and finalists will be announced in October 2014. The Cambridge accelerator workshop and final judging takes place in January 2015.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards.